Danish war veteran denied Danish residence

This bizarre story courtesy of Politiken (full English translation via Google Translate)....

A 22-year old Afghani, who has lived in Denmark since he was 13, and who has served two tours of duty in Afghanistan as a civilian translator for Danish soldiers, has been denied permanent residence in Denmark. The reason cited by authorities - he has failed to demonstrate active participation in Danish society. Under new immigration laws, applicants must be involved in social activities defined by the Danish state - unfortunately for Barialai Hassanzai, that list does not include risking one's life while serving with Danish troops in an active war zone.

Spokespeople for the ruling Venstre Party, and their coalition partner the Danish Peoples Party, have commented on the case and insist that the rules are fair and work as intended, and that they don't see any need to address it further.

Since the new "points" system came into place we've been hearing plenty of reports of people being summarily rejected without valid reason, but this beats everything. If you still had doubts that the Danish system is a people-blind, bureaucratic meat-grinder, I don't see how this could not lay them to rest. The point system, far from streamlining Denmark's notoriously turgid immigration system, has made it even more confusing and arbitrary.

For starters, what kind of "free" society draws up a rigid list of mandatory social activities? Danes would never tolerate such an invasion of their privacy, but they seem to have no qualms with forcing it on foreigners. The list, the entire process, is also so blind that it has a demonstrated inability to fulfill its supposed intent, namely, giving foreigners a chance to prove that they can be active in Danish society. The list is nothing more than another mindless flaming ring that immigrants have to obediently jump through. It's not about what you jump through, as long as you demonstrate the willingness to jump.

Danish immigration law reduces us to faceless numbers : getting into Denmark is now like getting into an exclusive nightclub. You stand for ages in a line, and if the bouncer thinks you look cool or rich enough, you get plucked from the queue and admitted. That's how Denmark sees itself, exclusive and greatly desired, and therefore, in a position to pick and choose at its own fancy. Things that make real people, things like family ties, a willingness to work, respect for the law, and even risking one's life, those don't matter.

The there's the actual case of Barialai Hassanzai. Denmark loves to beat it's ideological drum, it loves to shriek shrilly about its great moral sacrifice in Afghanistan, but even in the midst of all the gunfire, ambushes and IEDs, Denmark never forgets that the war on immigration has a higher priority. I'm pretty sure that Hassanzai would be afforded greater respect in Denmark if he got himself killed on duty, if instead of coming back a 22-year combat veteran, he return a fatality statistic on a field report, a photo of a bloody pool in the sand outside some nameless village in Helmand. Oh how they'd love that - how they'd toast him, his bravery and his contribution to the war effort. He'd be one of the good muslims, one of those who laid their lives down for righteousness, and all the time what they'd actually be toasting would be themselves. And if there's one thing I've learned about Denmark, it's that it has plenty of adoration for foreigners who remain in foreign places. Once they cross the border into Denmark, they become something altogether different.

Denmark, your inhumanity disgusts me.