Noor Inayat Khan

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/53943709

This picture shows Noor Inayat Khan who was born in Moscow in 1914; her father was Indian and her mother was American. Noor is thought to be Britain’s first Muslim war heroine and last week a blue plaque was put up at the home in London where she used to live. Blue plaques show where there is a connection between a famous person or an event and a place. This is the first blue plaque to honor a woman of Indian origin.

In 1940, during World War 2, Noor joined the WAAF (Women’s Auxiliary Air Force) and in 1942 she was recruited as an SEO agent to fight, use radio and telegraph communication and to disrupt enemy plans. SEO agents had secret gadgets like exploding pens or umbrellas with hidden weapons. Their missions were very dangerous; Noor risked her life by parachuting behind enemy lines in France. Many of her SEO network were captured but Noor chose to stay in France moving from place to place and sending messages back to London.

She was caught, escaped from prison, and was caught again. She was starved by Nazis for a year but never revealed secrets.  She died in September 1944 at Dachau Concentration camp.

-        What did Nazis believe? Why were people fighting against Nazis in World war 2?

-        Noor was recruited to the SEO. How do people usually get jobs; why do you think the SEO recruited people rather than put out an advert?

-        Why do you think the SEO used gadgets like exploding pens and umbrellas with weapons?

-        Why do you think Noor risked her life to fight with the SEO? What kind of person do you think Noor was?

-        Noor must have experienced extreme hardship while traveling in France avoiding capture, why didn’t she just givce up?

-        Noor died over 75 years ago; why are we remembering her today?

-        Why is this a story of hope?

-        What can we learn from Noor?

-        Why is this story relevant today?

Why is this about No Outsiders?