A recent incident in the US shows just how much this world has changed — and that we all need to exercise prudence in even the most innocuous of situations while travelling abroad. An Emirati businessman and Abu Dhabi resident, Ahmad Al Menhali, was accosted by police in the suburban city of Avon, just outside Cleveland, Ohio.
Police were alerted to Al Menhali by relatives of staff at a local hotel, who were alarmed by his clothing. Al Menhali wore traditional Emirati attire of kandora and Arab headdress and spoke in Arabic while on the phone. He is a businessman and was in the US for a medical reason. He is no terrorist. But a hotel clerk, most probably due to prejudice, feared that he was a member of Daesh (the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) and alerted relatives, who called police.
Sadly, we live in a world where ignorance is rife. And that same ignorance is also tempered by images of violence perpetrated by men in traditional Arab dress. And this world is also protected by police who take any threat of terrorism very seriously, and will react to any threat — perceived or otherwise — with force. In this instance, police officers overreacted to Al Menhali, and acted out of ignorance and with complete disregard to his basic rights. Al Menhali had to be hospitalised after his brush with these law enforcement officers who wrestled him to the ground and subdued him.
This incident speaks to the prevalence of stereotyping, which is reinforced by television and movie makers; it speaks of the ignorance of many who paint all with the same brush; and it speaks of the lack of diversity training in this particular police department. It also tells us that discretion is needed at all times. We are proud of our national dress, but when travelling, it helps if we avoid wearing attention-grabbing clothing or jewellery, especially in public places.
