The United Arab Emirates warned its citizens to avoid wearing traditional clothing when traveling outside of the country on Sunday, less than a week after a businessman was mistakenly arrested in OH after a hotel clerk thought he was a terrorist.
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The move comes after an Emirati, 41-year-old Ahmed Al Menhali, was detained by police in the U.S. state after a hotel employee reported him as suspicious.
Menhali was wearing a white kandura, a traditional robe that reaches the ankles, and a headscarf at the time he was handcuffed.
Avon Police Chief Richard Bosley, right, and Mayor Bryan Jensen apologise to Ahmed al-Menhali after he collapsed following an encounter with police.
The Emirates responded to the incident by summoning United States deputy chief of mission Ethan Goldrich and warning its citizens to avoid wearing traditional garments when traveling overseas. Police camera footage showed officers detaining and searching al-Menhali before determining he was not a threat.
In protest, The UAE foreign ministry posted a statement on Twitter strongly urging citizens “not to wear the national dress during travel, especially in public areas, to ensure their own safety”. In a message on a Foreign Ministry Twitter account focusing on citizens travelling overseas, the ministry said on Saturday: “For citizens travelling outside the country, and in order to ensure their safety, we point out not to wear formal dress while travelling, especially in public places”, the message dated July 2 stated, without referring to the Avon incident.
On Sunday, the ministry released travel tips and guidelines for the summer and noted that citizens should abide by other countries’ veil-wearning and burqa bans.
Menhali said he was consulting with lawyers.
Avon’s police chief and mayor have apologized to Menhali.
The 41-year-old man was released once the mistake was realized but had to be hospitalized for three days after fainting and suffering a “light stroke” according to CNN.
“She went off and texted her sister and said I pledged my allegiance to ISIS”, Mr Menhali told Al-Jazeera, speaking through a friend due to his inability to speak properly following a previous stroke.
He said the apology was evidence that officials in Avon – a city of 22,000 that is over 92 per cent white – made the arrest without any evidence that he had links to terrorist organisations.
“A person who makes a false accusation like that endangers not only the person that they are making them about but [also] it frustrates us and angers us that we’re going into a situation that puts our police officers in a position they would never want to be in”. They pressed forcefully on my back.
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“The woman who made the false claim could still face charges”, it added.
