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United Arab Emirates

by mark sensen 15-NOV-1995

Origin of white color in AEs' flags

The British asked all the gulf Emirs who were friendly to them and entered into special treaty relationship with them to put white onto their flags. This explains the white on the flags of the states we received, as well as on the hoist of the flags of Qatar and Bahrain (both of which were invited to join the UAE when it was formed in 1971 but declined). Fujairah never enter a treaty relationship with the Brits, so their flag is all red. That treaty was the "truce" that changed the Pirate Coast to the Trucial Coast (or Trucial Oman as it was sometimes misleadingly called.)
josh fruhlinger 19-NOV-1995

Trucial States before UAE

Before the UAE, there was an attempt to form a Federation of Arab Emirates which would have included Bahrain and Kuwait in with the so-called Trucial States. I believe its flag was proposed as horizontally red-white-red (proportions something like 1:2:1) with a green nine-pointed (seven-pointed, according to james dignan, as Bahrain and Kuwait did not join) star in the centre
roy stilling 20-NOV-1995