
‘Clock kid’ Ahmed Mohamed and his family will move to Qatar - molecule
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/clock-kid-ahmed-mohamed-and-his-family-will-move-to-qatar/2015/10/20/a95ed296-7762-11e5-b9c1-f03c48c96ac2_story.html
======
zeteo
> Eyman was referring to a number of conspiracy theories that appeared on the
> Internet about his arrest. Most attest that the incident was a pre-planned
> plot [...]. Some of that skepticism stems from claims against Ahmed’s father
> [...] who has run for president of Sudan

I was completely outraged when I first heard this story, but then I read some
of the legitimate criticism that the article glosses over. Basically it looks
like he didn't build a clock, but repackaged an existing clock into a pencil
box and had it go off during class. Here's the take from someone who went the
full length with looking up the parts:

[http://blogs.artvoice.com/techvoice/2015/09/17/reverse-
engin...](http://blogs.artvoice.com/techvoice/2015/09/17/reverse-engineering-
ahmed-mohameds-clock-and-ourselves/)

~~~
blakeyrat
I don't see how that changes the story at all.

Whether or not he built the clock, the important thing is that he _didn 't_
build a bomb and was arrested by police officers who (then and now) fully
admitted that he had committed no crime whatsoever.

~~~
rhino369
He wasn't arrested for building a bomb, but for building a fake bomb. I don't
think you should arrest a kid for that even if it did, it's not worth it.

However, it's not insane to think he was trying to cause an incident. The
hypothesis goes: he wanted to get a teacher to believe he had a bomb so that
he could claim religious profiling and racism. If that is what happened, that
technically is a crime because the bomb was a hoax bomb.

Why would someone think he was trying to trick a teacher into thinking it was
a bomb. It's a weird thing to bring to school. It's not like he actually make
a clock on his own. Clocks are not super impressive, but it's a good beginner
amateur electronics project. But he didn't even do that. His comments in the
media don't really show any understanding of electronics.

Why was he so proud of pulling apart an off the shelf alarm clock and nailing
it into a pencil case? He brought it out in each class of the day for no
reason. He set it to go off in class for some reason.

And then when he was questioned about it, he was reportedly very tight lipped.
He could have been nervous being in trouble. Or he could have been trying to
create a scandal.

Mark Cuban said when he called the kid that someone else was feeding him
answers. His sister got in trouble in a bomb scare situation at the same
school district.

And then the family goes on a media tour meeting with mass murdering Islamic
leaders--al-Bashir. And suddenly the family is moving to Qatar.

His Father was also involved in a high profile media circus regarding a Koran
burning.

It's not clear that it was a purposeful stunt. But I don't think it requires
conspiracy level thinking to believe it was.

~~~
jonlucc
Bringing an alarm clock to school and NOT setting it to go off during class is
more suspicious to me.

------
Pinatubo
His father has run for president in Sudan and last made headlines for debating
a Florida pastor who burned a Quran.

This kid stuck a Radio Shack clock in a pencil case, and deliberately
disrupted a class with it after he was asked to put it away -- he plugged it
into the wall and left it beeping until he was kicked out of class and
arrested for having a hoax bomb.

This whole episode was engineered by a politically active family, who is now
running off to Qatar with all the free publicity and stuff gullible Americans
gave them.

Al Jazeera is based in Qatar. Watch for the dad to appear on that network as a
frequent commentator on anti-Islamic prejudice in America -- this was probably
arranged weeks ago, possibly even before the hoax bomb incident.

~~~
slavik81
> he plugged it into the wall and left it beeping until he was kicked out of
> class

I'm trying to imagine how this would happen and I'm failing. Do you have some
sources to back this story up?

~~~
Karunamon
The clock was AC powered (you can see the cord and transformer in various
pics) - it's not going to make any noise without being plugged in to a power
source.

~~~
makomk
It has a battery backup which should be able to power everything except the
display.

------
akiselev
_》After withdrawing from school in Texas, the boy’s family embraced the
opportunities that came from his brush with the law. He visited the Google
Science Fair, met with Sudan’s President Omar al Bashir, posed with the queen
of Jordan at a United Nations Summit, appeared on the “Doctor Oz” show and
last night, made it to the White House._

Great for him and his family. I hope that he finds someone who kindles his
curiosity and turns it into a force for human progress in the future.

For those of us who remain in the United States: I think it's a sad state of
affairs when "embracing opportunities" that result from horrendous
discrimination in Texas means associating with a country best known for one of
the worst genocides in recent memory (yes I know that the situation has
changed in the last decade, but most people probably dont) and moving to a
country widely known for effectively enslaving thousands for the sake of a
sports tournament.

[Edit] horrendous smartphone copy paste

~~~
thieving_magpie
>For those of us who remain in the United States: I think it's a sad state of
affairs when "embracing opportunities" that result from horrendous
discrimination in Texas means associating with a country best known for one of
the worst genocides in recent memory

Yeah I'm sure the only option was to move to Oman. Come on, this is one of
many opportunities offered and they decided to go to Oman. You're aware this
kid just got his picture with al-Bashir - a man facing ICC charges for
genocide in Darfur. I hope this kid's family has his best interests at heart.

~~~
akiselev
If you had spent most of your life integrating with Western culture, only to
have your very identity targeted and put into the [inter]national spotlight, I
wouldn't be surprised or disappointed if your first reaction was to go to the
polar opposite (in this case, other nations whose government and population
are heavily influenced by Islam). We're not even talking about basic
discrimination but a situation where the victim was put on a stage many years
before he could be prepared for it, if such a thing is even possible for an
unwilling participant. Imagine the horror his parents went through when their
child was subject to such an ordeal and it's hard to blame them for throwing
their hands up and saying "fuck western nations", especially given the
response of many European nations to the Syrian refugee crisis and the mass
migration of Muslims to the EU overy recent decades.

My comment was rather flippant because in reality he can have a much better
life in poorer parts of the world where he is in the overwhelming majority
(and educated) instead of in a nation where he is overwhelmingly a minority.
Regardless, going from the United States, a country built on the idea of a
cultural melting pot, to Qatar or Sudan makes me very sad.

~~~
thieving_magpie
Yeah, they probably did say "fuck western nations". Right after visiting the
White House and the leader of the nation (and going to the Google science fair
and meeting Sergey Brin). Right after that they decided "fuck the west".

~~~
akiselev
Are you blaming them for not rejecting opportunities to meet some of the most
powerful and influential people in the world to spite them for what happened
_in Texas?_

~~~
thieving_magpie
No.

I'm pointing out that it doesn't seem very likely that they have a "fuck the
west" attitude if they're still cool with meeting the President of the United
States and visiting the White house.

------
JackFr
What's the story here?

>He visited the Google Science Fair, met with _Sudan’s President Omar al
Bashir_ , posed with the queen of Jordan at a United Nations Summit, appeared
on the “Doctor Oz” show and last night, made it to the White House.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_al-
Bashir](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_al-Bashir)

In March 2009, al-Bashir became the first sitting president to be indicted by
the International Criminal Court (ICC), for allegedly directing a campaign of
mass killing, rape, and pillage against civilians in Darfur.

In October 2005, al-Bashir's government negotiated an end to the Second
Sudanese Civil War, leading to a referendum in the South, resulting in the
separation of the south into the separate country of South Sudan. In the
Darfur region, he oversaw the War in Darfur that has resulted in death tolls
that are about 10,000 according to the Sudanese Government, but most sources
suggest between 200,000 and 400,000.

------
TallGuyShort
Much of the online commentary I've seen of the aftermath seems to be along the
lines of, "See? It was all a stunt!" I expect this will be met with, "See? He
IS a terrorist!" Personally, I think the overreaction and resulting media
storm have just ruined the kids life. Where can he go and be a normal, if
perhaps unusually inclined to STEM, kid? Nowhere in the US, that's for sure.

~~~
thieving_magpie
There's no where in the US this kid can go and pursue an education in a STEM
field? You really believe that? Good lord HN is a pool of overreaction.

~~~
TallGuyShort
There's a difference between pursuing an education and being treated normally
socially. I mean "ruined his life" is an exaggeration, I'll admit, but it's
pretty tough to get this much attention in a controversy and then just leave
that all behind. A significant portion of my friends think he's a terrorist,
for goodness sakes...

~~~
thieving_magpie
Yeah, it's a situation that should never have happened. If your friends think
he's a terrorist, get new friends. It's one to think his family faked it for
attention (which I don't, but it isn't like the father doesn't have a history
of attracting attention to himself on purpose), another to just call them
terrorists.

~~~
TallGuyShort
Me getting new friends doesn't help Ahmed. The same attitude is all over.
That's my point. Huge portions of America think the kid's a terrorist. That's
not HN exaggeration. That is literally the words coming off their keyboard. I
don't think he stood a chance of a normal life in America.

~~~
thieving_magpie
I guess I can't argue that he'd have a normal life now. I totally don't buy
that "huge portions of america think the kid's a terrorist", but we can stop
our discussion here.

------
kraig911
The only thing the clock this kid made is telling is that we're still in a
time where racism and xenophobia is rampant still in America.

The comments on that article are abhorrent. Even if it was pre-planned or not
they definitely exposed the real problem we have in America. Not terrorists,
but ourselves.

~~~
aikah
Funny because in this very discussion

> This kid stuck a Radio Shack clock in a pencil case, and deliberately
> disrupted a class with it after he was asked to put it away -- he plugged it
> into the wall and left it beeping until he was kick out of class and
> arrested for having a hoax bomb.

> The only thing the clock this kid made is telling is that we're still in a
> time where racism and xenophobia is rampant still in America.

Sure ,but is it about racism ? or is this about the media making stuff up ?

Was he arrested because he was "brown" ? or because he behaved like a moron in
class ? I don't have the answers, but let's choose our champions carefully
here.

The media often make up their own stories just for the sake of milking them ad
nauseam. It wouldn't be the first time.

~~~
kraig911
I think my point is there is no champion at all in this. Whether his story was
true or he deliberately did it. In the end both scenarios playing out we as
USA still lose. Only one scenario makes us look less bad but bad is still bad.

------
kzhahou
One school+police district screws up, the entire nation up to the POTUS and
numerous corporations extend their support... and his family then decides to
leave the country?? Eh, fuck 'em. Seriously, he has huge opportunities here,
both for himself and also as an advocate for other minorities in tech.

This is a pretty bad insult to the USA, no way around that. Very ungrateful.

------
seivan
I always assumed Scandinavians were the gullible dhimmis but quite refreshing
to see how far Americans are willing to bend their reality distortion field to
appease Islamists. The kid is innocent and was used as a pawn. The same can't
be said for the impressive list of asshats that tried to capitalize on this as
did the boy's jihadi dad and the Muslim Brotherhood - though you know them as
CAIR.

While everyone who brought up an ounce of critical thought was instantly
dismissed as a "nazi" by the Good Guys™

And you wonder why people are growing increasingly right wing. Stop appeasing
Islamists while throwing people like Nawaz and Khan under the buss

------
Overtonwindow
Like others, I was at first really pissed off at this saga, but the more I've
read, the more I feel like it's a hoax. This whole thing has just been one
scam on the media.

~~~
abritinthebay
So the media were the ones that made the school and police over-react
completely? Riiiight.

~~~
bdcravens
No, but the media has shaped the narrative to instruct the public as to what
the intent was. If a kid brings a fake gun to school, they'd be arrested too
(wrong or right)

~~~
abritinthebay
So.. in your mind bringing a very small disassembled clock in a custom housing
is _exactly like bringing a fake gun to school_.

Ooookay.

~~~
aryamaan
yeah, very small disassembled clock which looks similar to a bomb is same like
bringing a fake gun which looks like a gun.

------
sea2summit
If you look up his father's history, it's pretty clear that this entire
"controversy" was likely manufactured at the kid's expense.

------
ck2
Great for him but I think it will suck for his sister and mom's freedom.

~~~
nikolay
It could suck for him, too, if he turns out to be gay, for example.

~~~
azth
He won't, don't bother yourself with such issues.

------
cup
Watching this unfold outside of America was really a masterclass in how racism
and discrimination continues to thrive in America.

Which isn't to say It's unique to America, only from my experience a lot of
Americans think their country has moved on from those days when in actual
fact, racism is alive and kicking.

The fact that you had news reporters and even Dawkins going after him was
embarrassing and sad.

When I was 14 I hung out with (Caucasian) kids that lit things on fire in the
park.

~~~
Karunamon
"Going after him?"

AFAIK, all Dawkins said was that he didn't build a clock. Which he didn't, he
took a circa 1980s Radio Shack clock out of its case and mounted it in a
pencil box.

Apparently trivially verifiable facts are discriminatory now?

This whole thing stinks. I've seen nothing in either the police reports, the
words of the involved people, or any _hard, objective facts_ that indicate
that this is a matter of anything other than garden variety school
administrative stupidity.

~~~
GuiA
Dawkins was being an ass for the sake of having the last word. Sure, nothing
he did was impressive to the internet geniuses who have 10 years of experience
and a college degree more than him. And so what? The kid was curious, that
kind of initiative shouldn't be stifled. Because anyone who has worked with
kids/teenagers in any capacity knows quite well how easy it is to kill that
kind of thing in the bud. It takes a seed to grow a tree.

I would absolutely say that Dawkins was in fact "going after him" and being an
asshole, even if he probably didn't fully understand why (but that makes the
whole situation even sadder, that a scientist so visible to the public would
be clueless about how to engage kids about science and engineering).

~~~
chimeracoder
> I would absolutely say that Dawkins was in fact "going after him" and being
> an asshole, even if he probably didn't fully understand why

Don't forget that Dawkins said that Islamophobia is a 'non-word'[0].

Dawkins was being an asshole, and he definitely knew why. Ignoring Ahmed
Mohamed's religion and race and pretending like it's not relevant doesn't
change the fact that this entire incident is inextricably linked to the fact
that he is Muslim and not white.

[0] [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/richard-dawkins-
def...](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/richard-dawkins-defends-
ahmed-mohamed-comments-and-dismisses-islamophobia-as-a-non-word-10515389.html)

~~~
Karunamon
_this entire incident is inextricably linked to the fact that he is Muslim and
not white._

Based on what proof?

------
larakerns
This is a depressing consequence of media-fueled racism/discrimination that
will further drive the disintegration of the US as a strong competitor in STEM
fields on the global stage.

~~~
anon1mous
Don't be silly. Qatar won't overtake US. Neither will BRICS or Japan or
Nigeria, etc. They lack innovative culture, disrespect for authority, etc.
West Europe, the only real competitor, is almost forever bound to US.

