There’s an indomitable zest rising from the ashes of war in the Middle East, and the spirit of defiance doesn’t look like it will be dampened anytime soon. Recently, we ran a story on Helly Luv, the Kurdish musician battling ISIS through her art. This time, we introduce you to a second Kurdish crusader cast in the same fearless mould.
Joanna Palani, a 23-year-old Kurdish European woman, did what few women her age could have done. At 22, she left her cloistered sanctum of luxury and comfort to join war in Iraq and Syria. She left Denmark, where she was enrolled in a college, to join the People’s Protection Unit in Syria first, and then the Peshmerga, holding its own in the battle against ISIS.
On the gory front lines, she faced the music like never before. She bore witness to brutalities that instead of dampening her resolve, drove her further to fight for justice and human rights. She has mentioned in one of her interviews that the ISIS militants are easily defeated compared to Syrian President Assad’s trained soldiers.
At the age of three, Joanna was brought to Denmark by her parents from a refugee camp in Iraq and has lived there ever since. She was born in a UN refugee camp in Iraq and taken to Copenhagen later.
Standing up for justice, and doing so at the cost of one’s own interests is a commendable feat, but Joanna doesn’t bat an eyelid before venturing out for the cause. She fought for a year, then left for a short break. While on leave, she had her passport confiscated and hasn’t been able to rejoin the forces since. The Danish government confiscated her passport because of protocol relating to foreign fighters joining jihadi groups. The situation is a complex one, and she has mentioned in interviews how she is in a complete quandary.
Notwithstanding legal issues, it takes courage and grit to put one’s own life on the line for the protection of others. Kudos to Joanna for having the determination to challenge the most barbaric forces in the world today.
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