Alright, so I made a Takistan ALiVE with the same setup and modules I used before with database, and it works. AI spawn great too, and persistence works great. Could it be possible that the Isla Duala mission didn't work because someone corrupted the save? I remember that after I made the mission, it worked the first time, then someone did an incomplete server save and exit and it wouldn't work after. How could I get the save uncorrupted or deleted? But honestly we're going to use Takistan while Icebreakr fixes his maps. Thanks guys.

Just read another post with a similar issue with persistence enabled and stuck on loading screens...turning off saving compositions now. I believe my data will have to be wiped though.
Edit: This is our group http://alivemod.com/war-room/showorbat/3815