A Hero Perhaps, But For Now Ahmed Says he has ‘Lost his Innocence’

14-ear-old teenager Ahmed has managed to unite the world in his support, but he claimes the incident has changed him.

Ahmed Mohamed. (Photo: AP)

Ahmed Mohamed may have single-handedly earned the support of no less than the President of the United States – as also made a hashtag called #IStandWithAhmed trend like mad on twitter – but the battle within is far from over.

The 14-year-old boy from Texas has spoken of how bruised he feels from the incident and how irrevocably it has changed him. The Independent quotes young Ahmed as saying:

I’ve lost my innocence. I can never look at the world in the same way. I like science, but I look like a threat because of my brown skin.

I Wanted to Impress my Teacher: Ahmed

Sad words from an enterprising young lad who simply wanted to impress his teacher with his shiny new invention. Instead, he ended up with handcuffs on his wrists, a trip to a juvenile detention centre, isolation from his parents and abject and unnecessary suspicion.

I built the clock to impress my teacher but when I showed it to her, she thought it was a threat to her. It was really sad that she took the wrong impression of it and I got arrested for it later that day.
– Ahmed Mohamed

The teenager who dabbles in robotics said he was encouraged by the social media support, loved to invent things and will be looking to transfer to a different high school.

My Son Arrested Because He is a Muslim: Ahmed’s Father

His father, meanwhile, has been less than forgiving. Mohamed Elhassan Mohamed, according to news reports, said he learned of the controversy when he got a call from the Irving Police Department which said simply this – “your son has been arrested for making a bomb”. He also went on to decalre that he believed the arrest had taken place because of ‘Islamophobia’ and the impact of 9/11.

Also, when asked if his son would’ve been arrested had he not been Muslim, the teenage Ahmed’s father simply and assertively said: “No”.

(With inputs from Reuters)