A few weeks ago, a 14-year-old kid named Ahmed Mohamed took a homemade clock to his school in hopes of impressing his teachers. Ahmed had actually told his teacher that he'd made the clock at home and brought it in to show what he was capable of. Instead of appraisal, he got something entirely different---handcuffs. The police were called, and the 14-year-old was arrested on the suspicion of building a bomb. Within a short time, a photo of the shocked 14-year-old in a NASA t-shirt went viral, and the reality of Islamophobia came into light. This is a reality Muslims have endured for years and still do.

Let’s face it. His arrest didn't occur because the clock looked like a bomb. Instead, it was because he looked like someone who might want to make bombs. He obviously has got the most Muslim-identifying name and skin color that every racist and bigot associates with what is "un-American."

But why? It's because we have discriminatory people and bigots in the spotlight like Pamela Geller, Sam Harris, Bill Maher, Glenn Beck and many others who believe it's their purpose to tell us what Islam is. Their arguments are based on no evidence and zero interactions with actual Muslims. They cherry pick and make sweeping ridiculous generalizations that would've been unacceptable if directed at other people, except America takes them seriously when directed towards the Islamic community.

Take Bill Maher for example. Maher supported the arrest of Ahmed. His reason? "Young Muslims are blowing shit up all over the world."

These self-named experts on Islam use every opportunity to make money and accumulate airtime by exaggerating the fear of Americans with sweeping generalizations and remarks such as the previously stated. The scary part? Americans believe every word. They believe that American Muslims are terrorists, that our cemeteries and Mosques are jihadist and terrorist training grounds, and that we either are all jihadists, terrorists, or jihadist denials.

Even the Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson made a brazen comment. “I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that," he stated. Yes, of course. Let's forget about the millions of patriotic, law-abiding Muslims across the country, the thousands of Muslim men and women who serve in the U.S armed forces, as firefighters and policemen, and as public officials, not to mention entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, engineers and teachers.

...And didn't the Founding Fathers say no to a national faith and no to religious tests for public office?

These types of Islamophobic remarks are the reason as to why a 14-year-old got arrested for doing what kids do: tinkering and creating.