The United Arab Emirates is advising its citizens to avoid wearing traditional clothing when traveling abroad.
The warning comes after the local media widely carried reports of an Emirati businessman, wearing traditional white robes, who was mistaken for a member of Islamic State while visiting the central U.S. state of Ohio. He was handcuffed and detained by police and later had to be hospitalized.
The government also "urged women to abide by bans on face veils in parts of Europe." The advisory specifically mentioned France, Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands, as well as some European cities – such as Barcelona, Spain, which banned any form of face covering in 2010.
A tweet from a government account used to provide advice to Emiratis traveling abroad said UAE citizens should avoid wearing Emirati national dress while traveling abroad, particularly in public places, "in order to preserve their safety."