UAE issues travel warning to its citizens traveling to U.S. (1 Viewer)

[Doctor Detroit]

The United Arab Emirates has issued a warning for its citizens traveling overseas advising them against wearing traditional dress following a profiling incident in the state of Ohio.

Ahmed al-Menhali is a 41-year-old Emirati businessman and father of three, who was in the Cleveland, Ohio area for a medical checkup. While attempting to find a hotel in a city booked solid due to the upcoming Republican National Convention, Menhali tried to check into a local Fairfield Inn and Suites in nearby Avon. From there, things went about as badly as humanly possible.

The clerk—whose name is as-of-yet unreleased—informed the man that this hotel, too, was booked solid for the night, but then texted her sister when Menhali attempted to ask for her assistance in finding another hotel. The sister and the clerk’s father then called 911, claiming that the man was “pledging his allegiance to ISIS” when he had been heard speaking Arabic over the phone. 

From there, local police responded as to any terror threat, and the incident (which was captured on body camera) is as jarring as it is unfortunate.



The Avon Police Department is reviewing the incident, and city officials have apologized personally to Menhali—while noting that he was not, in any way, at fault. Nonetheless, the incident spurred the UAE to issue a travel warning to its citizens traveling abroad.

The travel warning, issued via the UAE’s official government Twitter account, advised against “traditional dress,” especially in public areas.

At the time of the incident, Menhali was wearing a kandura, a traditional white robe.

It would be easy to dismiss this as a perfect storm of mistakes leading to an unfortunate end. Menhali has some speech difficulties having previously suffered a stroke, so the hotel clerk would have found it hard to understand him. The tenor of the Cleveland area—both in law enforcement and travel industries—is guarded because of the upcoming convention. 

The UAE foreign ministry has officially expressed their discontent to U.S. diplomatic personnel over the abuse as well as the posting of the body camera video showing his arrest. Menhali is exploring legal avenues with a lawyer and though charges have not been filed against the clerk, that is still a possibility.

Anti-Muslim attacks have spiked recently in the U.S., due to violence in San Bernadino, Paris and now Orlando, as has anti-Muslim rhetoric throughout the current election cycle both on national and state levels.

U.S. travelers are familiar with travel warnings to various other countries as issues by our State Department, but it is a stark contrast in reality when America has become unsafe—in any way, shape or form—for foreign travelers.

Fears of violence against Muslims rises after incidents in Florida, New York, and Texas

We did it!  We're so intolerant other countries are issuing travel warnings! 

 

[Homer J Simpson]

USA! USA! USA!

 

[Mister CIA]

I suppose there is a travel industry in Cleveland.

 

[Bucky86]

GOOD!! WE DON'T WANT THOSE TERRORISTS HERE ANYWAYS!!!! /EVERY TRUMP SUPPORTER

 

[Gr00vus]

Because we all know terrorists are going to target empty hotel lobbies while wearing traditional attire when attempting or plotting evil.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Because we all know terrorists are going to target empty hotel lobbies while wearing traditional attire when attempting or plotting evil.

I always want to ask my Muslim friends what they think about all this, but I avoid it simply because it makes me so angry. 

On the bright side there is much less pressure on black people now, I only get pulled over twice a week. 

 

[Galileo]

There is paranoia as much as (if not more) there is intolerance.   

 

[dutch]

I always want to ask my Muslim friends what they think about all this, but I avoid it simply because it makes me so angry. 

On the bright side there is much less pressure on black people now, I only get pulled over twice a week. 

It's a good thing The Man doesn't know you like we know you.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

There is paranoia as much as (if not more) there is intolerance.   

Agreed but it's probably more Ignorance>>>>>>>>>>>>>Paranoia>Intolerance

 

[dutch]

There is paranoia as much as (if not more) there is intolerance.   

Don't you worry, intolerance is on it's way to Cleveland in short order and in spades, orange spades, but spades none the less.

 

[Galileo]

Don't you worry, intolerance is on it's way to Cleveland in short order and in spades, orange spades, but spades none the less.

In a way, it is the RNC that lead to this incident...  Menhali was staying is an apartment on the near west of Cleveland while here in the US.  The landlord asked him to find alternate accommodations for the week of the convention so that the apartment could be used for the RNC.  He went into the hotel to inquire about extended stay options in the area.

 

[ShamrockPride]

If he traveled all the way across the Atlantic just to go to Cleveland...then he deserves what he got.

 

[Galileo]

If he traveled all the way across the Atlantic just to go to Cleveland...then he deserves what he got.

FU

 

[rascal]

I always want to ask my Muslim friends what they think about all this, but I avoid it simply because it makes me so angry. 

On the bright side there is much less pressure on black people now, I only get pulled over twice a week. 

Progress!

 

[Cjw_55106]

FU

Are you a big Cleveland fan or just upset that you don't have a monopoly on stupid comments in this thread? 

 

[Mr.Pack]

GOOD!! WE DON'T WANT THOSE TERRORISTS HERE ANYWAYS!!!! /EVERY TRUMP SUPPORTER

And you're as ignorant as they are.

Way to go GB!!

 

[Steve Tasker]

Am I the only one who found the video to be significantly less shocking than expected?

 

[SameSongNDance]

Am I the only one who found the video to be significantly less shocking than expected?

No, I thought the cops handled it pretty well. They can't exactly help the fact that there are people like this lady; people so painfully stupid that they believe anyone who speaks Arabic must be a terrorist.