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As a musician and children’s writer, nothing seemed to predestine Noor Inayat Khan (1914–1944) to fight against Nazism. Yet when the time came, she didn’t hesitate to risk her life for freedom.

A cosmopolitan childhood

Noor was born in Moscow in 1914. Her father, Inayat Khan, was a musician and Sufi preacher, descended from Tipu Sultan, the 18th-century ruler of Mysore. Her mother, Ora Ray Baker, was American. Her full name, Noor-un-nisa, meant “light of womanhood.”

During her early years, the family moved to London and then Paris. Noor had three younger siblings and developed a particularly close bond with her brother Vilayat.

Music was a central part of her childhood—her father often sang to his children at bedtime. In 1927, he fell ill and died. Deeply affected, her mother fell into grief, and it fell to 13-year-old Noor to care for her siblings and manage the household.

Artist and musician

Dreamy, introverted, and profoundly creative, Noor wrote poetry and composed music. In 1931, she began studying harp and piano. She would later study child psychology and Hindi as well.

Noor launched a prolific and successful artistic career. By 1938, she was a regular contributor to the children’s page of Le Figaro. Her endearing stories, filled with magical creatures, were widely appreciated. She also participated in children’s programs on Radio Paris.

She worked on an adaptation of the Jataka Tales—stories about the Buddha’s incarnations—which became a publishing success. She also wrote articles on subjects ranging from Indian and Greek mythology to history and folklore.

But the outbreak of World War II would lead her down a very different path.

Flight to England

The rise of Nazism horrified Noor. She was particularly appalled by the atrocities committed against Jews. She had even once been engaged to a Jewish man, though the engagement was later broken. The devastation caused by the bombings further convinced her to act.

She and her family fled Paris and sought refuge in England. There, Noor resolved to take action—despite the internal conflict it caused with her Sufi philosophy of nonviolence.

She joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) and trained as a radio operator. Her rapid progress and fluency in several languages caught the attention of the Special Operations Executive (SOE).

Training with the SOE

Noor was soon recruited by the SOE for espionage work in occupied France. Informed of the risks, she accepted immediately.

She began training as a wireless operator, learning codes as well as more physical, hands-on skills. Noor struggled with sabotage techniques and was initially frightened by weapons. Still, she showed great determination to improve.

Her training also included unarmed combat and survival techniques. Agents were subjected to mock interrogations designed to simulate capture and test their ability to maintain their cover. During her own interrogation, Noor broke down, nearly losing the ability to speak. This raised doubts about her readiness—but despite reservations, she was sent to France in June 1943.

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