US 'clock boy' Ahmed Mohamed

何謂時鐘男孩(clock boy)

李家同·2015年10月22日

最近如果各位看國際新聞，就會看到一個名詞叫做時鐘男孩，這是什麼典故呢?美國德州有一位中學生，對科學有興趣，他做了一個電子鐘，也帶到學校給他的一位老師看。那位老師對他稱讚有加，不過他警告那位男孩不要給其他老師看，但他還是給了另外一位老師看，那位老師看了立刻通報校長，校長也立刻通報警察。後來警察來了，將電子鐘沒收，也將男孩戴上手銬，理由是這個男孩做了一個炸彈。

事後當然這位小孩被釋放了，但是有一陣子警察局不肯送還電子鐘，理由是要留做證據。我就搞不清這是什麼證據。之後，歐巴馬總統邀請他帶著電子鐘到白宮去。麻省理工學院的一位教授希望這位男孩以後到麻省理工學院唸書。美國所有的電子業大亨都對他表示興趣，希望他將來能夠到他們的公司去工作。這個小孩從此就被稱為時鐘男孩，最新的消息是他要到中東的卡達(Qatar)國家去唸書了。

為什麼會發生這種事，沒有人知道。可是學生把這個鐘給老師看，就表示他不可能是恐怖份子。恐怖份子絕對是偷偷地將炸彈藏起來，然後引爆。這位老師如何想的，是一個謎。警察來了以後，如果認為這是個炸彈，應該立刻找來炸彈專家，也應該將這個電子鐘放到操場的中間去。他們也沒有這樣做，就拿了鐘走了。如果這個鐘是個炸彈的話，那豈不危險?

這個孩子為什麼最後離開了美國?他的名字出了大問題，他的名字中間有個字是穆罕默德，這在美國是犯大忌的。如果他沒有這個名字，而且是純白種人，他大概不會出這種問題。

一個國家如果對某一種民族特別害怕，乃是一件非常遺憾的事，對這個國家絕對不利。可是911事件以後，這種對伊斯蘭教徒害怕的感覺就越來越厲害。美國的有識之士應該設法解決這個問題。時鐘男孩的新聞在全世界重要媒體上都幾乎是頭條新聞，他正式決定到卡達去唸書，也是頭條新聞。這些媒體多多少少都有一種看鬧劇的感覺。

US 'clock boy' Ahmed Mohamed to move to Qatar

• 21 October 2015
 
• From the sectionUS & Canada

Image copyrightGetty Images

Image captionThe whole Mohamed family will move to Qatar

Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old Muslim boy from Texas whose teacher mistook his homemade clock for a bomb, will move to Qatar with his family.

Ahmed has accepted a scholarship from the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, where he will study.

He met US President Barack Obama at the White House on Monday.

After Ahmed was detained over the clock last month, his case went viral on social media.

Some alleged he was unfairly treated because of his name and religious background. Officials in Irving Texas defended their decision, saying they were only concerned with the safety of students.

The Qatar Foundation is providing a full scholarship for his secondary and undergraduate education, according to a news release.

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Media captionAhmed Mohamed meets US President Barack Obama

"Our family has been overwhelmed by the many offers of support we have received since the unfortunate incident of Ahmed's arrest," the Mohamed family said in the release. "From the White House to Sudan, to Mecca, we have been welcomed by a variety of individuals, businesses and educational institutions."

According to his family, Ahmed will be enrolled in the Qatar Foundation's "Young Innovators" program and his whole family will relocate with him to Qatar.

"Qatar was a cool place to visit. 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," said Ahmed in the news release. "The teachers were great. I think I will learn a lot and have fun too."'

Image copyrightReuters

Image captionAhmed's homemade clock was mistaken for a bomb

Ahmed withdrew from his Texas school shortly after the clock incident.

He was arrested on 14 September after his teacher mistook his clock for a bomb, sparking outrage and the trending hashtag #StandWithAhmed.

In addition to being invited to the White House, Ahmed received an outpouring of support from scientists, politicians and celebrities including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.