Ken Berwitz
The parents of AhmedMohamed, a 14-year-old Muslim boy who was detained for bringing hishomemade clock to school, have retained legal counsel to sue over religiouspersecution.
Mohamed, who is the son of a Muslim immigrant from Sudan, was arrestedearlier this month after his clock was mistaken for a bomb by a teacher atMacArthur High School in Irving, Texas.
The boy was led out of school in handcuffs, sparking outrage on socialmedia and attracting the attention of President Barack Obama, who later invitedthe boy to the White House.
“We should inspire more kids like you to like science,” the US presidenttweeted on September 16. “It\’s what makes America great.”
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that “Ahmed\’s teachers havefailed him,” adding that the incident could serve as a “teachablemoment” about how “pernicious stereotypes” can affect people\’sjudgment.
The family said in a statement on Wednesday that it had pulled Mohamedand his two siblings out of the Irving school district and planned tohome-school their children.
Mohamed\’s parents have hired two Dallas attorneys, Thomas Bowers andReggie London, to pursue their son\’s legal rights and take back his scienceproject from the Irving Police Department.
The family said they decided to sue because the incident “severelytraumatized” their son and that they wanted to make sure no one else willexperience such ordeal.
