You may remember the uproar that came out of Irving, Texas early this September after 14-year-old high school student Ahmed Mohamed was arrested at school in suspicion of making a homemade bomb that was actually just a clock.

The incident drew media attention on a national level from many big names in the science community and beyond spoke out to support young makers like Ahmed, who was photographed in handcuffs wearing a NASA T-shirt.

Officials across the board took to social media to support Ahmed. Tweeted Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, “We need to encouraging young engineers, not putting them in handcuffs. #IStandWithAhmed.”

President Obama invited Ahmed to the White House, which Ahmed took up after attending the annual White House Astronomy Night. 

This support, however, was not enough to keep Ahmed’s family from announcing they would be moving out of the United States and to Qatar, an announcement made just a day after Ahmed visited the White House.

“[T]he family said the move was best for Ahmed’s education. The Qataris were offering to pay for his schooling through college. But now the family says the decision had as much to do with a backlash in the United States. Ahmed’s home address was made public, and commenters on fringe websites threatened him with violence,” said The Dallas Morning News.

Now, Ahmed’s family has another announcement to make: it is suing the Irving Independent School District for $5 million and the City of Irving for $10 million in addition to written apologies, says Fox News. 

Though some may argue the outpouring support for Ahmed could have potentially opened up many learning opportunities for the student, Ahmed’s attorneys are arguing that his reputation in the global community is permanently scarred.

"In the aftermath of the incident, Mohamed’s attorneys assert, the teenager’s name and likeness will be 'forever associated with arguably the most contentious and divisive socio-political issue of our time,’” Fox News said.

Read the full story.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

11/24/2015