Eid in Al-Ahwaz: Protest and Repression

The Iranian authorities conducted raids on Ahwazi Arab homes during Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Islamic holy month of

Ramadan, in a clamp-down on Arab demonstrations.

The Democratic Solidarity Party of Al-Ahwaz reported the arrests of three men: Ibrahimm, Dahimi and Hussein Hamoudi from Malashiya and Moustafa Silawi from Hay al-Thawra.

In spite of the arrests, Ahwazi Arabs held demonstrations asserting their identity throughout Eid. In the demonstrations, people chanted for Al-Ahwaz and against sectarianism. In one protest, they chanted that Al-Ahwaz was a nation of Imam Ali, Abu Bakr, Uthman and Umar, a statement that indicates that the Ahwazi Arab nation is not divided along Shia-Sunni divides but remains united.