News Release Islamic Association of North Texas 840 Abrams Road Richardson, TX 75081 Contact: Khalid Hamideh (972) 231-5698 work / [email protected] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The Islamic Association of North Texas responds to the recent incident at MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas. DALLAS (Sept. 19, 2015) – The Islamic Association of North Texas expresses its concerns with the arrest and interrogation of 14-year old Ahmed Mohamed at the MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas. Our country is unique in that we are proud of the social, intellectual and racial diversity that we have. We believe that the Dallas/Ft-Worth Metroplex serves as a microcosm of this, and we are proud to be part of such a community. However, when incidents like this occur, due to a flawed yet unfortunately prevalent ideology of Islamaphobia, and regardless of race, gender or creed, we are inhibited from moving forward as a community, as a city and as a nation. The very fact that #IStandWithAhmed has gone viral, and the outpouring of support that has been displayed from numerous communities around the world, especially with our nation’s highest office, emphasizes a sense of solitude with the belief that young minds ought to be encouraged to explore intellectual pursuits. Rather not be shunned, or in this case, arrested, for it. We are in danger of creating a dangerous precedent and impeding our ability to advance both socially and intellectually.

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Hamideh Mohamed Release Page 2 We hope Ahmed’s incident can serve as a reminder that we must respect, encourage and aid one another, and that every citizen should be encouraged to explore the reaches of their intellectual capacity, and that our academic institutions should be at the forefront of doing so. Established in 1969, the Islamic Association of North Texas is a not-for-profit religious organization dedicated to providing services to the more than 150, 000 Muslims living in the North Texas region.

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