Ahmed Mohamed was 14 when he built a digital clock and brought it to his teacher. The school called the police. Officers placed him in handcuffs. A photo of the scene circulated online. The image spa
Ahmed Mohamed was 14 when he built a digital clock and brought it to his teacher. The school called the police. Officers placed him in handcuffs.
A photo of the scene circulated online. The image sparked outrage, followed by waves of support. President Obama offered his backing. Mark Zuckerberg did the same. Bruce Fenton, Executive Director of the Bitcoin Foundation, joined the voices of support.
Fenton's backing included a financial offer: a $50,000 scholarship for Mohamed. He then increased it to $250,000.
Some people questioned whether Fenton meant what he said. He made clear that he did. The jump from $50,000 to $250,000 suggests he learned other donors wanted to help as well.
In a statement, Fenton explained: "I think that the national interest in this story makes it a great opportunity to get people to think about anti-Muslim bigotry and what we've become as a nation. This should be a wake up call for many Americans to realize something is very wrong when we are arresting 14 year olds with a NASA shirt for building a clock. I really do feel the [Texas] public school doesn't deserve him as a student and thought it would be awkward for him to return. Then, I realized he doesn't even have to return if he doesn't want to and there was a simple offer I could make to help. Once it became clear many others felt the same way I increased the offer. I hope his family hears about it and considers it and I especially hope that this incident makes people think about what kind of country we are and can be."
Fenton attended Wilbraham Monson, a prep school in Massachusetts, during his own school years. Mohamed has not yet indicated whether he will accept Fenton's offer.
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