Courage (Coraje)

Extended title

Courage: The Price of Freedom

Hanan Serroukh, a young Spanish woman of Moroccan origin, tells us her incredible story: how, after escaping the Salafist oppression of her stepfather and living on the streets, she became an independent activist committed to the fight against radical Islamism in Europe. The story of an immigrant’s daughter who, above ideologies and religions, chose to remain true to herself.

Courage is the autobiographical testimony of Hanan Serroukh Hamed, a woman born in Barcelona into a Moroccan family, who from childhood experienced the clash between two worlds: a happy childhood with a liberal father and, after his death, the repression imposed by her Salafist stepfather. Under the new family rules, Hanan was forced to wear the hijab, abandon her studies, and give up her freedom. At 15, she ran away to avoid a forced marriage, which led to her mother publicly repudiating her, beating her, and declaring her dead to the family.

In youth shelters she experienced loneliness, institutional neglect, and the power of friendship, which became key to her survival. At 18, she ended up homeless and without support. Her recovery began when she started working as an assistant to Marc, a young quadriplegic, who taught her the importance of having a purpose in life. Inspired by this experience, she founded the association Punt de Referència, dedicated to helping young people who have aged out of care transition to independent lives.

Her activism led her to publicly denounce the political instrumentalization of radical Islamism in Catalonia, collaborating with security forces in the detection of jihadist networks. Although she had contact with political leaders, she refused to join party structures, disillusioned by their complacency with Salafist leaders.

The book concludes with a conversation with her daughter Nadia, where Hanan recounts for the first time her story of rejection, escape, and reconstruction. This revelation represents both a catharsis and a reconciliation with her identity. Above all, Courage is a manifesto for freedom, motherhood, and the capacity to choose one’s own destiny.

RELEVANT INFORMATION: Hanan Serroukh Ahmed (Barcelona, 1974) is the Spanish daughter of Moroccan immigrants who arrived in Spain in the late 1960s. She grew up between Figueres and Barcelona. In 1997, she created the first support project for young people without families and founded the association Punt de Referència. She has developed her professional career and social activism in collaboration with security forces, focusing on the fight against jihadist terrorism.

Courage is a true story that goes beyond a tale of personal resilience: it is an honest chronicle of a hidden reality in Spain. As Hanan Serroukh Ahmed’s first-person narrative unfolds, it becomes the story of a community and of a country.

AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: TV series, miniseries, film, TV movie.

AVAILABLE LANGUAGES: Spanish.