Excerpt:
A University of Oklahoma dean who issued a public apology regarding Middle Eastern clothing he wore at an OU gathering said the issue shouldn't spark a "religious battle."
According to an Aug. 25 story on the OU Daily website, Charles Graham, Ph.D., dean and W.E. Bryan Jr. Endowed Professor at OU's College of Architecture, issued a public apology for wearing "a white thawb and a red keffiyeh (an Arabic robe and head covering) on his head at the meeting on Aug. 20." Graham reportedly wore the clothing at a back-to-school event on Aug. 20.
The OU Daily reported that Graham said in his apology sent to faculty and staff, that he purchased the clothing when he went to Dubai and wore them out of multicultural respect. He told the OU Daily that he talked to several Muslims who said that his wearing of the clothing was not offensive to them.