The handcuffing of a traditionally dressed United Arab Emirates citizen mistaken for a terrorist in Ohio last week spurred the nation's government to take the unusual steps of summoning a U.S. diplomat for a meeting and advising its citizens not to wear such clothing while traveling abroad.
Harassment against Muslims in the U.S. has increased since presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump called in December for a ban on Muslim immigration. Deadly attacks in San Bernardino, California, and Orlando, Florida, and killings from Paris and Brussels to Bangladesh and Turkey tied to sympathizers of Islamic State have added to tensions.
The latest incident occurred last Wednesday when the sister of a woman working as a hotel clerk in the Cleveland suburb of Avon, Ohio, called police to report that a man at the hotel in "full head dress" had pledged allegiance to Islamic State, according to WEWS, a local ABC affiliate. Police arrived and handcuffed businessman Ahmed al-Menhali, who had been visiting the area for medical treatment and was wearing a traditional headscarf and full-length white robe, WEWS reported.