That has nothing to do with the culture of the place. If I invite you into my home, and ask you to take off your shoes, it doesn't matter whether or not I'm white, black, or reptilian. Please take off your shoes.
Isn't it a bit different if your home isn't actually yours, but belongs collectively to whoever lives there, under a system of rules decided by the people who live there, and those rules say it's fine if he doesn't want to take off his shoes?