Noor Inayat Khan, (1914 - 1944), born into an aristocratic Indian family, was the
eldest child of Hazrat Inayat Khan and an American, Ora Baker, and, the great,
great-granddaughter of Tipu Sultan of Mysore. By 1920, the family had settled
outside Paris. She studied at the Sorbonne, and the Paris Conservatory, under
Nadia Boulanger. In 1939, her book 'Twenty Jataka Tales', inspired by the Jata-
ka tradition of the early lives, both human and animal, of the Buddha, was pub-
lished. In 1940, the family fled the Nazi invasion of France, and moved to England.
Hazrat, (1882 - 1927), bringing the mystical teachings of the east westward, founded
the International Sufi Movement, focused on the themes of love,harmony, and beauty,
and taught that blind adherence to any book renders religion void of spirit - "There is
one holy book, the sacred manuscript of nature, the only scripture that can enlighten
the reader", and "There is one path, the effacement of the limited self in the Unlimit-
ed." He emphasized the role of music as a means of promoting spirituality. Noor, and
her brother Vilayat, believed in the principle of ahisma (non-violence), but were in-
spired to join the fight against Nazi oppression. Within six months, of arriving in Eng-
land they had enlisted - Vilayat in the Royal Navy, and Noor in the Woman's Auxiliary
Air Force. She was later recruited into the recently formed SOE,the forerunner of MI6,
intended to conduct espionage, sabotage, and reconaissance across occupied Europe.
She was the first female wireless operator parachuted into France, and according to the
head of the SOE, the principal, and most dangerous post, with a job-life expectancy of 6
weeks.
Noor was quoted as saying, " I wish some Indians would win high military distinction in
this war. It would help build a bridge between the English and the Indians." Due to her
spiritual values, she was scrupulously comitted to telling the truth, and also told the En-
glish that after the war, she would return to India, to fight against the British for Indian
independence.
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