$15 million lawsuit threat: Muslim 'clock boy' Ahmed Mohamed looking to strike it rich?
Muslim "clock boy" Ahmed Mohamed is back in the news.
You may recall that we first highlighted media coverage of the Texas teen after his disputed arrest back in September:
From Washington Post story on #IStandWithAhmed, three words that don't belong in a news story http://t.co/aSUr3kLFc7
— GetReligion (@GetReligion) September 17, 2015
The 14-year-old made headlines again in October after his family decided to move to Qatar:
Associated Press goes overboard on Muslims 'under siege' headline https://t.co/hrz3wYcifI
— GetReligion (@GetReligion) October 22, 2015
The latest news has dollar signs (15 million of 'em) written all over it:
'Clock Kid' Ahmed Mohamed, family suing Texas city, school for $15 million https://t.co/iAgqfR4fwZ pic.twitter.com/2qdMBQsOEZ
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 23, 2015
'Clock boy' Ahmed Mohamed's family seeks $15 million and apologies, attorney says https://t.co/m8BZNvwgV4 pic.twitter.com/YM5KsaZjh6
— CNN (@CNN) November 24, 2015
Family of Muslim teen who took homemade clock to Texas school seeks $15 million over arrest: https://t.co/DnAz5RgBLa
— The Associated Press (@AP) November 24, 2015
Letters demand $15 million and apologies from mayor and officials for Ahmed’s clock arrest https://t.co/qyaRgKMUSA pic.twitter.com/ZCpHXD6PtT
— Dallas Morning News (@dallasnews) November 23, 2015
For an editorialized spin on this new development, Fox News (as always) is happy to oblige:
Ahmed Mohamed is looking to strike it rich before the clock strikes midnight on the “clock kid” story.
Attorneys for Mohamed, 14, and his family want $15 million in damages and apologies from several officials stemming from Mohamed’s September 14 arrest, when he brought to school a homemade clock that a teacher flagged as a possible bomb.
CNN provides a less tilted lede:
(CNN) Fifteen million dollars and apologies from the mayor and police chief.
That's what an attorney says the family of Ahmed Mohamed is demanding from city and school officials in Irving, Texas, or they say they'll file a civil suit.
And The Associated Press goes old-school inverted pyramid (not a bad approach at all on a story such as this):
IRVING, Texas (AP) — Attorneys for a 14-year-old Muslim boy arrested after the homemade clock he took to his Dallas-area school was mistaken for a possible bomb said Monday he was publicly mistreated and deserves $15 million.
A law firm representing Ahmed Mohamed sent letters Monday demanding $10 million from the city of Irving and $5 million from the Irving Independent School District. The letters also threaten lawsuits and seek written apologies.
At this point, neither the city nor the school district is commenting, and the overall coverage from national media such as Fox, CNN and AP is pretty sketchy.
On the other hand, The Dallas Morning News offers rather insightful coverage on its front page today:
Front page of today's Dallas Morning News. pic.twitter.com/d1ghuag0HD
— Bobby Ross Jr. (@bobbyross) November 24, 2015
The Morning News' meaty rundown:
Threatening a lawsuit, Ahmed Mohamed’s lawyer says that not only did Irving officials illegally interrogate the boy for bringing a homemade clock to high school, but they later coordinated to “kneecap a kid in the media” in an effort to cover up their mistakes.
The alleged smear effort made Ahmed the target of anti-Muslim threats, the focus of conspiracy theories and caused his family to flee the country, the lawyer wrote in letters sent Monday to City Hall and Irving ISD.
Ahmed’s family demanded that officials apologize and pay them $15 million to stave off a civil rights suit.
“Mayor Beth Van Duyne lied about Ahmed and his family, and she did it to an audience that is on the absolute fringe of American life,” attorney Kelly Hollingsworth wrote.
City and school officials did not comment on the charges, though some in City Hall have been expecting to be sued since September, when the 14-year-old Sudanese immigrant was arrested -- accused of building a hoax bomb instead of a clock -- and transformed overnight into a global symbol of Islamophobia.
In the next paragraph, the Dallas newspaper provides this context -- context that may or may not give readers pause:
Monday’s letters were sent as anti-Muslim rhetoric is sweeping the U.S. presidential race and seeping into local politics. Armed protesters stood outside Irving’s largest mosque on Saturday — convinced that it had hosted a Shariah court, and that the Quran instructed Muslims to kill nonbelievers.
Is it a fact that "anti-Muslim rhetoric is sweeping the U.S. presidential race?" Two words -- Donald Trump -- lend credence to that statement, even though I wonder if more nuance might be helpful in characterizing what's being said by the candidates.
As for the armed protesters, crazy stuff is happening in my native Texas. A Morning News editorial today suggests:
We all should collectively pray for peace -- in whatever house of worship we choose -- and leave our guns at home.
Be careful out there, folks.
