UAE warns against traveling in traditional dress

An Abu Dhabi man looking to check into a Cleveland area hotel was forced to the ground by armed police last week after hotel staff called 911 and reported that a man talking in Arabic on a cell phone was "in full head dress … pledging allegiance or something to ISIS" - a widespread acronym for the extremist group "Islamic State."

In reality, 41-year-old Ahmed Al Menhali was an outpatient recovering from hospital treatment for a heart condition. He had stopped at the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Avon, Ohio, to look for a room when a suspicious front desk clerk had family members call police.

Minutes later, at least five armed officers arrived with guns drawn. After handcuffing and frisking Al Menhali, police realized the mistake and helped him to his feet. But Al Menhali - who in police bodycam video appears frightened and stressed by the encounter - collapsed outside the hotel lobby and had to be hospitalized.

"They were brutal with me. They pressed forcefully on my back. I had several injuries and bled from the forceful nature of their arrest," Al Menhali told "The National," an English-language newspaper in Abu Dhabi.

City officials apologize for police conduct

In a statement to Cleveland TV station WOIO, the Fairfield Inn said its staff had alerted authorities because of "unusual behavior of a man that had entered the hotel had caused the hotel staff to be concerned" but referred further questions to police.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) denounced Al Menhali's treatment by the hotel staff and city police based on the man's clothing and his speaking Arabic.

"Once a report comes in, police have to act, but they have to act in an appropriate manner, not based on someone's anti-Muslim bigotry," CAIR's national spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said.

CAIR arranged a meeting in which the Avon police chief and city mayor apologized to Al Menhali for the misunderstanding over the June 29 incident.

UAE foreign ministry issues blanket warning

Without directly referring to the Ohio incident, the UAE foreign ministry released a Saturday statement urging men to avoid wearing the white robes, headscarf and headband of the national dress when travelling abroad. A separate ministry statement urged women to abide by bans on face veils in parts of Europe.

jar/tj (AP, Reuters)