Egypt’s Minister of Tourism has apologized to Saudi Arabian national Ghaleb Hazzaa after he was not allowed to enter a restaurant for wearing a traditional white robe, reported state media Al-Ahram.
A video had gone viral on Tuesday showing Hazzaa and others arguing with venue staff after Hazzaa was banned from entering the restaurant in Sheikh Zayed for wearing the traditional ‘galabiya’.
“He is wearing a Saudi robe…he’s of old age…if you were in Saudi Arabia and wearing a suit, can we deny you entry to a restaurant?” asked one man in the video.
“It is an embarrassment that you do not respect tourists, particularly for wearing traditional robe,” says another man.
Following the incident, Egypt’s Minister of Tourism Khaled Ramy invited Hazzaa to his office where he offered a formal apology for the incident, adding that this did not reflect the values of Egyptians towards tourists and fellow Arabs.
Meanwhile, the Ministry has reportedly ordered the restaurant be shut down for a month after investigations showed the restaurant should not have banned Hazzaa from entry, reported El-Watan.
Reports that the restaurant was shut down came after the Ministry’s Under-Secretary said that discrimination could result in the cancellation of the restaurant’s license.
Despite the alleged outrage by the Ministry, Egyptians are often subjected to discrimination at bars, restaurants and clubs. Veiled women are often denied entry, some bars have been accused of profiling and more.
Comments (10)
They ban people wearing traditional garb from bars in the UAE. I guess they think it look bad, a guy wearing a thaub having a pint of beer.
Any establishment worldwide has the right to set it’s own rules as long as they are in line with the law. There are places where you need to wear a suite and a tie and we’ve seen Sheikh Mohamed Al Maktoum wear a top hat to the races at Ascot in England! The minister has no right to close the eatery and he didn’t even think how the employees there will make a living or how rent will be made?? That Saudi Arabia is helping Egypt, we thank them but we can’t bent over backwards!!
Good grief, this is the Sinai – Bedouin live here, if you didn’t already know! What if it had been a local Bedouin!
Linda what have you been smoking? Sinai is like 100 miles away, and the Sinai Bedouins are found in another 80 or 100 miles into Sinai. please learn geography and see where Cairo and Sinai are.
WRONG!!! Sinai is the name of the Peninsula/land mass/area, and Beduin live and work EVERYWHERE HERE!!!! Especially in Sharm, Dahab, all over! You could start a Feud like that….
The news you’re reading is wrong. The Saudi was banned at Tivoli in Sheikh Zayed (6 October) which is at the west side of Cairo.
then correct the article not us – “Hazzaa was banned from entering the restaurant in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh for wearing the traditional ‘galabiya’. i see Bedouin every day wearing their traditional clothes so don’t preach geography to me
you need to go out more often..get a life and keep this anger away