Another hero emerges from Va Tech: Waleed Shaalan

I got this from the largest Facebook group memorializing Shaalan, a 32-year-old graduate student from Egypt who was killed in the Virginia Tech shootings on Monday:

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/waleed_shaalan/index.html

<<"He was gunned down on Monday while he was studying in Norris Hall, but witnesses say he died a hero.

According to Randy Dymond, a civil engineering professor at Virginia Tech, Mr. Shaalan was in a classroom with another student when the gunman entered and opened fire.

Mr. Shaalan was badly wounded and lay beside the other student, who was not shot but played dead, as the gunman returned two times searching for signs of life. Just as the gunman noticed the student, Mr. Shaalan made a move to distract him, at which point he was shot a second time and died. The student believed that Mr. Shaalan purposefully distracted the shooter to save him, Mr. Dymond said.>>

I also found out from his Facebook group that he was a Muslim. I don't know, I just found it interesting that of the two people I've read about so far that were willing to sacrifice themselves for others, one was a Jew and one was a Muslim. In light of what's going on in the world, I don't know, I thought it was kind of...poignant maybe? Is that the right word?

Anyway, hope this hasn't been posted yet, sorry if it has been.

Thanks for posting it.

:cry:

Another one we couldn't afford to lose.

nt.

May we all be motivated by your bravery.

Thank you for sharing

That is what heroism looks like, and the Chimperor will *never* understand it.

He is indeed a hero as well. He gave his life so another could live, that says "hero" to me!

Salaam.

I suspect that now that the funerals are starting today (right?) that this story will get some big-time play. Hopefully.

for their fellow human beings.

Such a sad day, but through the carnage, there are short rays of light and hope.

RIP Waleed Shaalan, may Peace be with you.

doesn't seem to be the way here anymore.

and not more than 30 minutes ago I was talking to a friend of mine and telling her about this story and I said yep as far I have heard of two heros - a Muslim and a Jew and then I told her about some idiot reporter who before the shooter was identified said he was probably a Paki Muslim terrorist...

things that make you go hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm