On Wednesday, 14-year old student named Ahmed Mohamed studying at the Irving Independent School District in Irving, Texas was arrested for bringing to school a home-made simple electronic clock he had built as an engineering project. Suspecting the clock to be a bomb, the Police escorted Mohamed out of school in handcuffs and accused him of trying to build a bomb.

The internet world has raised a wave of support for the ninth-grade student, Ahmed Mohamed with #IStandWithAhmed. The issue which garnered a lot of attention became too big for biggies not to respond.  Barack Obama, Mark Zuckerberg, Google Science Fair and even the White House came forward and invited Ahmed to visit them, with his self-made clock.

Cool clock, Ahmed. Want to bring it to the White House? We should inspire more kids like you to like science. It’s what makes America great.

— President Obama (@POTUS) September 16, 2015

Hi @IStandWithAhmed, we ? building things at @twitter too. Would you consider interning with us? We’d love it — DM us! #IStandWithAhmed — Twitter (@twitter) September 16, 2015

Hey Ahmed- we’re saving a seat for you at this weekend’s Google Science Fair…want to come? Bring your clock! #IStandwithAhmed

— Google Science Fair (@googlescifair) September 16, 2015

Following the suit, Star Trek actor and Taylor Swift shade-thrower, George Takei wrote a brilliant note to Ahmed, and posted it on his Facebook profile as he wasn’t able to reach out to Ahmed directly. Takei acknowledges that although they’ve never met, his story resonated with him.

You may have heard the story of Ahmed Mohamed, the 14-year old Dallas student who was arrested after bringing a home-made clock in to show his teacher. They believed it was a bomb, likely because Ahmed is a Muslim. Since I don’t know how to reach this young man directly, I thought I’d post a letter to him here.

Dear Ahmed,
I’ve never met you, and it’s quite possible you’ve never heard of me, but my name is George Takei. I am many decades older than you, but your story and your experience—when you were arrested at your school simply because you brought in a clock for your teacher–struck a chord with me. You see, when I was a bit younger than you, I was also viewed by others as “the enemy” and treated as such, simply because I happened to look like the people who had attacked America.

Like you, I was just a kid trying to find his place in the world. I loved my country, and I looked forward to all the opportunities and challenges ahead. But my childhood was interrupted by fear and ignorance. When the authorities came for you because they believed you had built a bomb, I was reminded, in a way, of when the army came for us. They ordered us out of our home believing we were suspicious people because of our names, our faces, our ancestry. I spent my childhood in an internment camp because of that fear and ignorance.

But I want you to know, while America may have done a terrible thing to me and my family, and to 120,000 other Japanese Americans, I have great hope for this country, and I believe we do learn. There was a Japanese word we often said in the camps: Gaman. It means to keep on keeping on, with dignity and fortitude. I think you understand this word already. While certain school officials and police officers may have shown you the worst side of our nation, I understand many others have since shown you the best side. I was touched to hear you say that we all have to be true to ourselves.
Ahmed, you are now part of the story of America, and many will learn from your fine example. I see great things ahead for you.

George Takei, best known for his roles in the evergreen television series Star Trek, is also a director, author and an activist. Takei is a power on social media. His Facebook page has currently over 8.9 million likes. He is an avid user of the social network and regularly posts content with original humourous commentary and also shares viral content.