Can someone in the Irving TX area "draft" this young man?

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by wireties

Wrong - a key fact is missing. Was Ahmed wrongly detained BECAUSE of his race and/or culture? This is the key unknown factoid. By choosing Ahmed you are focusing public ire on persons and groups that may or may not deserve it. Also if there is something negative we do not know one risks damaging the cause and Ahmed. People will tune this kind of thing out - they already are. How many cause celebres have there been lately that turned out to be something different? Answer - too many.

Why not pick another symbol? There are plenty of documented possibilities.

You don't have to be persecuted for your race to be held as a example of a American Muslim student interested in science and technology.

Symbols aren't something people "deserve." Symbols come from an opportunity. This is an opportunity to turn an awful event that happened into Ahmed into something positive for the American Muslim community, and the country in general. There is the right mix of public attention, social media buzz, and general media attention to allow for his moment to be used to influence things positively.