Her name was Noor. But during World War II, many knew her as Madeline. That was her code name. And she was part of the Special Operations Executive, helping to fight the Nazis.
Noor Inayat Khan was born in 1914 in Russia to an Indian father and an American mother. Her father was a notable figure in the world of Sufism. At home, she was raised to be a pacifist and tolerant of everyone.
The family moved from Russia to London during Noor's early years and later to Suresnes near Paris in 1920, where they lived in a house in which her father established a Sufi center. There he taught people from all over Europe.
Her father's teachings greatly shaped Noor's personality. His brand of Sufism emphasized love, harmony, and beauty. Influenced by these principles, Noor grew to be gentle, sensitive, and compassionate, deeply rooted in her pacifist beliefs.
In Paris, Noor attended a local school and later enrolled at the Sorbonne, where she studied child psychology while concurrently honing her skills in music at the Paris Conservatory of Music. And with a deep-rooted love for stories, Noor also began to write. By her early twenties, she had produced several children's stories.
Then World War II broke out. And with the fall of France in 1940, her family fled to England. Compelled to make a stand against Nazi aggression, she joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force in 1940, and by 1942, she was recruited by the Special Operations Executive.
Due to her fluent French and training, Noor was chosen as a wireless operator, a critical but dangerous position. In this role, her code name was "Madeleine."
In June 1943, Noor was flown into occupied France. But soon, her network was compromised, and several operatives were arrested. Despite the risks and the opportunity to return to England, she chose to remain, single-handedly running a cell and sending intelligence to London.
Shortly after, Noor was betrayed, arrested by the Gestapo, and interrogated. Despite severe torture, she didn't reveal any information. In September 1944, Noor and three other SOE agents were executed at the Dachau concentration camp. She was just 30 years old.
Her final word, as witnessed by a fellow prisoner, was "liberté."
Sources:
Eunice de Souza. “Recovering a Tradition: Forgotten Women’s Voices.” Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 41, no. 17, 2006, pp. 1642–45. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4418141. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.
“Noor Inayat Khan.” Wikimedia Commons, Wikimedia Foundation, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Noor_Inayat_Khan.jpeg / “Special Operations Executive (SOE) and Special Forces Agents During the Second World War.” Imperial War Museums, https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205020940
“Noor Inayat Khan.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noor_Inayat_Khan
I have read a book about these women working in France for the resistance movement, so brave, they helped the cause so much. Very dangerous work.The book I have is about Virginia Hall.
A woman of no importance,