UAE Man Mistaken for Terrorist in Ohio Spurs Diplomatic Incident

[GMDino]

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-07-03/uae-man-mistaken-for-terrorist-in-ohio-spurs-diplomatic-incident

Quote: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 on June 29 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.

Apology Given
Avon’s mayor and police chief apologized to al-Menhali on Saturday, the station said, broadcasting video of the meeting at the Cleveland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.


Nations usually summon resident diplomats to express displeasure with their home countries or to protest policies. The UAE has done so occasionally in recent years, such as when it met with Qatar’s ambassador in 2014 to protest a Muslim cleric’s statement against the Arab state. The UAE generally has friendly relations with the U.S. yet is strongly protective of its citizens and their dignity.


The summoned diplomat, U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Ethan Goldrich in Abu Dhabi, promised an official response from U.S. as soon as possible, and said the embassy would contact police in Ohio to clarify what happened, according to a UAE foreign ministry statement. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond Sunday to a request for comment.

Wardrobe Advice
The UAE government on Saturday advised its citizens not to wear traditional clothing while out of the country. The foreign ministry resented the UAE citizen’s treatment in being arrested and searched, the official WAM news agency said, citing a statement issued by the ministry.

Some Americans recently have been quick to wrongfully report possible Muslim terrorists, especially on airplanes. In one case in May, the suspect was actually an Italian professor from an Ivy League university writing math equations. In another incident, a California college student and Iraqi refugee was removed from a flight after mentioning the jihadist group Islamic State during a phone conversation in Arabic.

Trump last week softened his position on Muslim immigration to suggest that he’d would focus on people from countries with a history of terrorist incidents.

[*bfine32*]

The article actually tries to blame this on Donald Trump. Journalist gold right there.

[GMDino]

The article discusses an increase in such things and then mentions that one of the major party candidates for POTUS has made statements that might increase such things.

That's not "blaming Trump" for this incident.

Thank goodness you aren't defending Trump every time.

[SunsetBengal]

(07-04-2016, 04:57 PM)GMDino Wrote: The article discusses an increase in such things and then mentions that one of the major party candidates for POTUS has made statements that might increase such things.

That's not "blaming Trump" for this incident.

Thank goodness you aren't defending Trump every time.

Well, actually they attributed it to Trump, in the second paragraph.  And, then mentioned all of the recent mass shooting incidents around the world as "not helping"..  If that isn't trying to blame it on Trump, what is?

[GMDino]

(07-04-2016, 05:11 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Well, actually they attributed it to Trump, in the second paragraph.  And, then mentioned all of the recent mass shooting incidents around the world as "not helping"..  If that isn't trying to blame it on Trump, what is?

Saying the people who did it did it because of Trump's statements.

I personally blame Benghazi.  

[GMDino]

So nothing about the actual event just people offended that Trump got mentioned?

[SunsetBengal]

(07-04-2016, 05:19 PM)GMDino Wrote: So nothing about the actual event just people offended that Trump got mentioned?

Meh, he got his apology. 

[*jason*]

(07-04-2016, 05:19 PM)GMDino Wrote: So nothing about the actual event just people offended that Trump got mentioned?

For a few moments, the cop that cuffed him though he was a national hero.

[GMDino]

(07-04-2016, 05:28 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Meh, he got his apology. 

Well good then.  That's my America!  Always admit when they were wrong!  LOL!

(07-04-2016, 05:34 PM)jason Wrote: For a few moments, the cop that cuffed him though he was a national hero.

You know it!

[*bfine32*]

Well I guess dude should just go home instead of risking it here:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/suicide-bomber-hits-near-us-diplomatic-saudi-arabia-052607490.html?ref=gs

Quote:DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A suicide bombing outside one of Islam's holiest sites killed four Saudi security forces on Monday, and similar attacks outside a Shiite mosque and a U.S. Consulate in two other Saudi cities raised fears of a coordinated assault aimed at destabilizing the Western-allied kingdom.

[GMDino]

(07-04-2016, 09:57 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Well I guess dude should just go home instead of risking it here:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/suicide-bomber-hits-near-us-diplomatic-saudi-arabia-052607490.html?ref=gs

More ISIS attacks on the middle east.

We better bomb the middle east.

[Belsnickel]

(07-04-2016, 09:57 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Well I guess dude should just go home instead of risking it here:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/suicide-bomber-hits-near-us-diplomatic-saudi-arabia-052607490.html?ref=gs

What do bombings in Saudi Arabia have to do with his home in the UAE?

[*bfine32*]

(07-04-2016, 10:45 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: What do bombings in Saudi Arabia have to do with his home in the UAE?

Are you in need of a map? They are all in the Middle East, where has been the location of increased activity. Bloomburg makes a big deal of this (OP) and the left rallies around it. I wonder if ISIS issued an apology after this latest attack. 

[BigPapaKain]

Isn't stereotyping fun?

[Belsnickel]

(07-04-2016, 11:32 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Are you in need of a map? They are all in the Middle East, where has been the location of increased activity. Bloomburg makes a big deal of this (OP) and the left rallies around it. I wonder if ISIS issued an apology after this latest attack. 

So all of the ME is one country, one culture, in your eyes?

I mean, IIRC, the Emirates are made up of several different cultures, even. Not taking into account the fact that these attacks occurred on the other side of their neighboring country. I haven't heard much about increased activity in the UAE, but admittedly I could be wrong. But using an attack in Saudi Arabia to make a point about his home being more violent when his home is in the UAE is illogical.

(07-05-2016, 12:12 AM)BigPapaKain Wrote: Isn't stereotyping fun?

It would seem so.

[fredtoast]

(07-04-2016, 11:32 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Are you in need of a map? They are all in the Middle East, where has been the location of increased activity. Bloomburg makes a big deal of this (OP) and the left rallies around it. I wonder if ISIS issued an apology after this latest attack. 

What is your point?  Do these terror attacks make it okay to detain an innocent man in the United States?

Typical response from  the right-wing echo chamber.  Noi matter what abuses an innocent person from the middle east suffers it is all okay because of terror attacks in the middle east.

[fredtoast]

(07-04-2016, 05:28 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Meh, he got his apology. 

Yeh, no reason to try to keep it from happening again.  Just keep harrassing innocent people and then apologize.  Nothing to see here.


"AMERICA!  HELL YEAH!"

[*bfine32*]

(07-05-2016, 10:50 AM)fredtoast Wrote: What is your point?  Do these terror attacks make it okay to detain an innocent man in the United States?

Typical response from  the right-wing echo chamber.  Noi matter what abuses an innocent person from the middle east suffers it is all okay because of terror attacks in the middle east.

Nope not OK to detain an innocent man; however, it does happen. As I have said, there will come a time when we have to choose between securities and liberties. The officers in this situation acted on intel they were provided. Did they over-react? Perhaps, perhaps not. I am unsure what I would do as a LEO in a similar circumstance; however, as a Soldier I would have puc'd him and removed him from the populated location for further investigation.

Typical liberal left: "Oh look at the mistreatment the Muslim got. No wonder they hate us and want to kill us." Funny how the left point to this (as I am sure he was probably not the only innocent man detain recently), while if the dude would have decided to go visit Muhammad's burial site instead of coming to America, he might have gotten more that a few scratches and an apology.

But at least we have Trump to blame. 

[Rotobeast]

I didn't see this outrage when Lucie talked about being detained and scrutinized.
That's different though, right ?
I mean..... he's a bigot and white, so he should get a little unfair treatment thrown his way for the privilege he's received.

It sucks that it happened to that cat in Cleveland, but this happens to tourists.
I can see Trump mildly contributing to the hyper-vigilance, but the largest contributing factor here is the IS.
Because, you know........terrorism.

[*bfine32*]

(07-05-2016, 08:29 AM)Belsnickel Wrote: So all of the ME is one country, one culture, in your eyes?

I mean, IIRC, the Emirates are made up of several different cultures, even. Not taking into account the fact that these attacks occurred on the other side of their neighboring country. I haven't heard much about increased activity in the UAE, but admittedly I could be wrong. But using an attack in Saudi Arabia to make a point about his home being more violent when his home is in the UAE is illogical.


It would seem so.

Nope the Middle East is not one country; however, it is one region. Attacks against the UAE have been threatened often and they are in a vulnerable location. To date they have been able to keep things fairly much in check through Sharia Law and "forced disappearances". I wonder if the apologize to someone they wrongly stone.

Point is that making a deal about this is silly; given what goes on in his own region and country. Call it illogical if you wish.