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Al-Ahwaz Liberation Organization (Iran)

by Ivan Sache

History of ALO
Description of the flag
- Erroneous reports of the flag
Flag of uncertain status

See also:

Iran

History of ALO

Until 1925 the northern side of the Persian Gulf - Al Ahwaz - was under British control with great autonomy. This independence of the Arabian tribes was ended when Persian troops occupied the area. Since then the area is "iranisied". The Persian first renamed it Arabistan, later Khuzistan. In 1946 the El Saadeh party was established in a first attempt to bundle the struggle for independence. Since 1990 several Al Ahwaz groups cooperate in the Al Ahwaz Liberation Organisation (ALO). Chairman Faleh Abdullah al Mansouri flee to the Netherlands in 1989, and now lives in Maastricht.

Mark Sensen, 16 August 1998

Description of the flag

Until 1920 the flag of Al Ahwaz was plain white, and called Baiyoodh ("the white one"). referred to an old legend about a white bird, the sea gull.

At the end of First World War several flags used the Pan-Arabian colours, but Al Ahwaz was annexed by Persia. Around 1920 the white flag was abandoned and the flag still used by the ALO is used. It has proportions 1:2 and consists of three equal horizontal stripes red, white and black. In the center of the white stripe a green five pointed star in a thin green circle.The red stripe stands for the war of independence, sacrifice and the defence of Al Ahwaz. The white stripe stands for peace, purity and friendship. The black stripe stands for the darkest depths of the deep sea. The star stands for the greatness and glory of the Arabs. The circle represents the people around around Al Ahwaz (the star). [Information from the ALO to the author.]
The flag is forbidden in Iran, but flies at the headquarters of the ALO in Maastricht.

Mark Sensen, 16 August 1998

Erroneous reports of the flag

by Jaume Ollé

This flag appears in the Flags of Aspirant Peoples chart [eba94], #31, with the following caption:
ARABESTAN
Arabs of Khuzestan
Iran

Ivan Sache, 13 September 1999

by Ivan Sache

According to Nations Without States [mnh96], the Arabistani flag is a vertical tricolor of red, white and black bearing a green star surrounded by a green circle.

Ned Smith, 15 February 2001

In 1974 Vexilla Nostra [vxn] reported another version with vertical stripes for the People's Front for Liberation of Arabistan, based in Baghdad. According to a representative of the ALO this was based on wrong information

Mark Sensen, 16 August 1998

Flag of uncertain status

by Ivan Sache

This flag was reported as related to Al-Ahwaz region, but is not linked with ALO.

Ivan Sache, 7 July 2003