Rejecting a Soldier

2 Feb 2011

The danish newspaper Information and several others report how the new Danish law on residence permits has affected at least one foreign citizen who has been to war for Denmark. Only in Denmark has a translated version of the article appearing in the Danish paper Politiken.

A war veteran from the war in Afghanistan (and soon on his second tour), Baralai Hassenzai has been denied permanent residence because he lacked 15 of 100 required points in so called “active citizenship”. Volunteering in a football club for kids for a full year, for instance, would count toward the needed points. Serving as a soldier to the Danish nation apparently does not! The Danish Immigration Service even told him that he could be denied even temporary permit because he traveled back to his home country.

When risking your life for the country, having lived in there since childhood, is not “active citizenship”, it is not criteria for judging a wish to participate and contribute but instead a hostile system hell-bent on alienating certain groups.

Hassenzai has appealed the decision.