The Muslim teen accused of configuring a “hoax bomb” for a school project has filed suit again his former school district, the principal Daniel Cummings and the city of Irving, Texas.
The story of Ahmed Mohamed gained nationwide attention when the then 14-year-old brought a homemade clock to school and was arrested after a teacher mistook the clock for a bomb.
The lawsuit alleges a violation of Ahmed’s rights both by the school and the police department that held an interrogation of the teenager without his parents present.
The lawsuit also cites anti-Muslim discrimination mired by “a long and ugly history of race struggles,” within the Irving Independent School District.
“Not only does Texas, and specifically the Irving Independent School District, get a “D” for anti-Muslim sentiment and politicizing history, it gets an “F” for continuing a long tradition of racial disparity in student discipline,” it states in the lawsuit.
Although the charge against Ahmed was soon dropped after his arrest, he was still served with a 3-day suspension.
Nearly a year after the incident, the Mohamed family says they are unable to repair the damage caused by the false accusations and media frenzy that dubbed their child, the “Clock kid.”
“I lost a lot of things in my life,” Ahmed Mohamed told The Washington Post. “…I can’t build anymore. My dad doesn’t have a job anymore. I moved from my house to an apartment. I lost my place for building things.”
Last year, President Obama tweeted the Mohamed family an invite to the White House’s “Astronomy Night.”
“Cool clock, Ahmed. Want to bring it to the White House? We should inspire more kids like you to like science. It’s what makes America great,” the President said on Twitter.