Bravery and guts are hard to come by, and this is why when 22-year-old college student Joanna Palani from Denmark decided to quit college and give up her comfortable life to join the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) militants in the Syrian city of Kobane, many lauded her actions.
Palani, who is of Kurdish descent, is one of several known Westerners who have joined Kurdish forces in the fight against ISIS in the Syrian city.
In a Facebook post, she posted a photograph of herself calmly smiling in the company of Kurdish fighters while wearing military fatigues, a bulletproof vest and carrying a large assault rifle—threatening ISIS militants with the words: "See you on the front-line tomorrow."
However, she would not be going to the frontlines any time soon. After she returned home to Denmark for a brief respite from the war, Danish authorities refused to let her go back to Syria and confiscated her passport, according to the British paper Daily Express.
"They have forbidden me from leaving Denmark. That puts me in the dilemma that I cannot continue my service down there as a soldier," she said.
Palani cannot understand why Danish officials are now strictly imposing new "foreign fighters" rules against her, even though all she wants to do is fight terror groups and not join them.
"How can I pose a threat to Denmark and other countries by being a soldier in an official army that Denmark trains and supports directly in the fight against the Islamic State?" she questioned.
In an earlier interview, Palani expressed her deep love for her country, saying that she will not hesitate to fight those who seek to wish to harm it. "I love Denmark. I grew up here and I love the freedom of our society. If Denmark should ever be attacked, I will go to the front-line with a Danish flag around my shoulders," she said.
However, because of her Kurdish descent, she cannot help but be concerned now that they are being attacked by the radical Islamists. "But I have Kurdish family, and right now it is the Kurds who are being attacked by brainwashed Islamists," she explained.
Minister of Justice Soren Pind defended Denmark's foreign fighter law, saying it is "very clear" how they deal with those who wish to join terror groups. However, Pind did suggest to Palani that she could challenge the decision in court.
