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UAE warns against wearing traditional dress after man in robe mistaken for terrorist in USA

Xinhua, July 4, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Foreign Ministry of the United Arab Emirates has warned its nationals not to wear robe and head scarf when traveling abroad, days after an Emirati man was wrongfully accused of having links to the Islamic State (IS) in the United States.

In the traveling warning issued Sunday on its website, the ministry urged its citizens to avoid wearing the national dress during their travel overseas, especially in public areas for the sake of their own safety.

They asked those traveling abroad to abide by the dress codes of nations they are in and to take note of the ban on wearing face-covering veils in countries like France and Belgium.

The ministry also said that it had expressed discontent through the U.S. Embassy and demanded clarification over the incident.

The warning came days after the arrest of a 41-year-old Emirati national, identified as Ahmed al-Menhali, by Ohio police in a suburb of Cleveland, after the man in robe and head scarf was thought to be pledging allegiance to the IS via phone.

U.S. police and officials have offered apology to Menhali for the Hollywood-style farce, which was described by the latter as a very positive first step.

Menhali was in Ohio for treatment after having a stroke. He said he was considering hiring a lawyer after suffering a great deal of harm and embarrassment because of the incident. Endi