Dubai – The Foreign Ministry of the United Arab Emirates on Monday warned its nationals not to wear robe and head scarf when travelling abroad.
The ministry warned its citizens to avoid wearing the national dress while travelling overseas, especially in public areas for the sake of their own safety.
It issued the warning days after an Emirati man was wrongfully accused of having links to the Islamic State (IS) in the U.S.
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 it had expressed discontent through the U.S. Embassy and demanded clarification over the incident.
The 41-year old Emirati national, Ahmed al-Menhali, wearing robe and head scarf, was thought to be pledging allegiance to the IS via phone by Ohio police in a suburb of Cleveland.
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, however, said he was considering hiring a lawyer after suffering a great deal of harm and embarrassment because of the incident. (Xinhua/NAN)