I recall that there was a big blowup in Egypt when a black actor, Lou Gosset (of The Jeffersons) played Anwar Sadat in a TV miniseries. They were offended that he was portrayed as a negro and not as an Egyptian.

from wiki article

“The film was negatively received in Egypt and was accused there of distorting history and slandering the Egyptian people, and was also criticized for the casting of a black actor, Lou Gossett, Jr., as Sadat. The Egyptian Ministry of Culture announced a ban on all films distributed by Columbia Pictures, and Egypt’s artists’ and film unions sued Columbia Pictures and the film’s director, writer, and producers. The lawsuit was dismissed by an Egyptian court for lack of jurisdiction because the film’s “distortions” and “slanders” occurred outside Egypt.”