This story just keeps getting weirder.
Remember Ahmed Mohamed? He’s the Texas teen who sailed into his (extended) 15 minutes of fame after one of his teachers mistook a “homemade clock” for a homemade bomb.
The Social Justice Warriors rushed to Ahmed’s cause, crying racism; President Obama even invited him to the White House. After the incident, Ahmed used the media attention to his advantage, saying that his teacher and the authorities made him “feel like he was a criminal,” and that the whole thing seemed contrary to America’s live-and-let-live spirit.
Apparently, Ahmed’s place in the media cycle paid off. Yesterday, his family announced that they plan on moving to Qatar, where Ahmed will pursue his education—courtesy of a full scholarship.
From WaPo:
“After careful consideration of all the generous offers received, we would like to announce that we have accepted a kind offer from Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) for Ahmed to join the prestigious QF Young Innovators Program, which reflects the organization’s on-going dedication to empowering young people and fostering a culture of innovation and creativity,” the family said in a news release Tuesday.Anthony Bond, a close family friend and the founder of the Irving, Texas, chapter of the NAACP said the family made the decision to leave the U.S. within the past 24 hours. They have spent those hours in Washington, where Ahmed has been on a mini-press tour in anticipation of his visit to the White House….[The news release] included one statement from Ahmed:“I loved the city of Doha because it’s so modern. I saw so many amazing schools there, many of them campuses of famous American universities. The teachers were great. I think I will learn a lot and have fun too.”
Slate found some inconsistencies with this:
Mohamed’s sister told the Dallas Morning News that her brother will study at the Doha Academy. The press release language about the QF Young Innovators Program, incidentally, is taken directly from a press release that the Qatar Foundation put out on Oct. 5 after the family toured its facilities. There is no apparent evidence on Google or in the Nexis news database of anything called the “Qatar Foundation Young Innovators Program” having existed before two recent QF press releases. (The Qatar Foundation is affiliated with something called the World Innovation Summit for Health Young Innovators program, but that program involves invididuals up to 30 years of age who have “significant achievement innovating in a health-related field.”)
Weirder, and weirder.
Am I the only one who thinks that this isn’t the last we’ll see of our intrepid clockmaker?
Follow Amy on Twitter @ThatAmyMiller
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