IRVING, Texas — The decision by the family of a Texas teenager to move to Qatar is not surprising in light of lingering anti-Muslim sentiment that makes many U.S. followers of Islam feel as if they are “under siege,” a spokesman for a national Muslim-American group said Wednesday.
The teen, Ahmed Mohamed, shot to national prominence last month after he was arrested for bringing a homemade digital clock to school that a teacher mistook for a possible bomb.
On Tuesday, the family announced that they would soon move to Qatar, a wealthy oil nation on the Persian Gulf. There, a foundation has offered to pay for Ahmed’s education in Doha.
Yaser Birjas, imam of the Valley Ranch Islamic Center in Irving, said he wishes the 14-year-old well but worries about the stress that can come with celebrity.
“I hope that he does not get overwhelmed and consumed with that because now the expectation of him is so high,” Birjas said. “And he’s just a kid.”
Birjas cautioned that people who move from America to Muslim countries are often disappointed when they discover restrictions they never experienced in the U.S.
Yousuf Fahimuddin, a Muslim journalist, believes the family’s departure will only perpetuate the idea that Muslims are not loyal to the U.S.
“I don’t think moving to Qatar, a country with its own share of problems, constructively helps fight prejudice,” Fahimuddin said in an e-mail.
