| Popular Front for the Liberation of the Occupied Arabian Gulf | |
|---|---|
| الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير الخليج العربي المحتل | |
 | |
| Dates of operation | 1968–1974 |
| Active regions | Dhofar Governorate,Oman |
| Ideology | Marxism–Leninism Arab nationalism Scientific socialism Feminism |
| Political position | Left-wing[1][2] |
| Allies | |
| Opponents | |
| Battles and wars | Dhofar War |
| Flag |  |
ThePopular Front for the Liberation of the Occupied Arabian Gulf (Arabic:الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير الخليج العربي المحتل, abbreviatedPFLOAG), later renamed thePopular Front for the Liberation of Oman and the Arabian Gulf (Arabic:الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير عُمان والخليج العربي), was aMarxist andArab nationalistrevolutionary organisation active in an armed struggle against the Arab monarchies in theArabian Peninsula. The organization was dedicated to overthrow all monarchies in Arabia[3] culminating in theDhofar Rebellion against theSultanate of Oman.[4]
The group developed from theDhofar Liberation Front, and adopted the name PFLOAG in September 1968.[5]: 58 PFLOAG's goal was the establishment of an Arab socialist state in the Gulf region through the strategy of fighting apeople's war.[5]: 58 PFLOAG sought to expelBritish forces from Oman. The Front sought to establish a constitution, abolish martial law, restore freedom of the press and expression and ensure the rights of minorities. On economic issues, it intends to nationalize the oil companies, develop industries and implement land reform. The Front called for more social justice and affirms its support for all Asian, African and Latin American liberation movements. References are also made to the Palestinian struggle. The rebels open schools to which both boys and girls have access (girls' education was forbidden in Oman until 1970). Tribalism was fought against and social relations tended to evolve, with a specific place given to women, including in the armed struggle.[6]
PFLOAG's leadership described their stance asMarxist-Leninist.[5]: 58
Having close relations to the government ofSouth Yemen, the PFLOAG opened an office there. With South Yemeni support, PFLOAG guerrillas were able to seize control over large sections of westernDhofar. In August 1969 PFLOAG captured the town ofRakhyut.[7][8] China, which sought to continue deepening itsrelations with South Yemen and viewed PFLOAG as proteges of theNational Liberation Front in South Yemen, supported PFLOAG.[5]: 58–59 China distanced itself from PFLOAG in 1971 as part of efforts to improveits diplomatic relations with the Arab states.[5]: 94
In 1974 the organization was divided into two separate bodies: thePopular Front for the Liberation of Oman and thePopular Front for the Liberation of Bahrain.[9]
The PFLO leadership pledged to continue on the “trail of struggle”, as Al-Ghassani[note 1] put it in an address on June 9, 1978, that marked the thirteenth anniversary of the revolution:
We are committing ourselves to fight alongside our Omani people in the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula against the ambitions ofimperialism and Iranian expansion[11]
In 1968, at theHamrin Conference, the PFLOAG committed itself towomen's emancipation, seeing it as intrinsic to the broader liberation of Dhofar.[12] Traditionally, the women of Dhofar enjoyed a relatively good position compared to women of other regions in the area. Abdel Razzaq Takriti notes that "[w]omen participated in work and were not socially segregated. They were allowed to smoke (although rarely did so) and could travel without a male companion." However, women were still restricted in their emancipation at that time since few enjoyed the opportunity to travel for education for example.[13]
Although the PFLOAG had adopted a quite absolute stance on women's emancipation, they were not entirely successful in implementing their aspirations. From 1968 onward, there was a gradual implementation of laws againstpolygamy andfemale circumcision, and a promotion of equalinheritance rights. The last was retracted, however, due to opposition in the ranks of the Front.[14] Women also were recruited in the Front's army and could participate in its schools. This was done to fight oppression on a broader scale, rather than only focusing on political oppression by the Sultan. It has been argued that gender is an important factor in the practice of sectarianism, as well as tribalism,[15] which were both considered by the Front's leadership as forms of oppression.
Heiny Srour has mentioned that the Front's stance on feminism inspired her to film her 1974 documentary on theDhofar War, calledThe Hour of Liberation Has Arrived. In this documentary, she attempted to capture the "avant-garde feminism"[16] of the movement.
What prompted this palace coup was a left-wing insurgency led by the People's Front for the Liberation of the Occupied Arabian Gulf (PFLOAG) in Dhofar province.
This was the organization from which most of the left-wing liberation movements in the Arab world emerged, most prominently the Palestinian People's Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), as well as movements in Kuwait and the People's Front for the Liberation of the Occupied Arabian Gulf (PFLOAG).
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