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Today's most e-mailed
Prior days' news: By date | Search This week's print issue Back issues: By date | Search April 19, 2007Waleed ShaalanWaleed Shaalan, 32, was close to finishing his Ph.D. in civil engineering at Zagazig University, in Egypt, when Virginia Tech offered him a teaching assistantship for the fall of 2006. He arrived in Blacksburg in August. His wife of three years, Amira, remained in Zagazig with their 1-year old son, Khaled. At 4 a.m. on April 16, Mr. Shaalan was still up, studying for an exam in advanced hydraulics. Fahad Pasha, a junior in electrical engineering and Mr. Shaalan’s roommate, sat with him for awhile.  muslimmatters.org “He was talking about bringing his wife and kid over for the fall semester,” says Mr. Pasha. “He couldn’t do it anymore, with them being so far away.” The two friends had met in January. They hit it off right away. “He just came off as the simplest and nicest guy I ever met,” Mr. Pasha says. Although Mr. Shaalan kept very busy, Mr. Pasha says his friend always made time to advise him and their other roommate, as well as serve them cake and tea when they were studying for exams. In his final moments, Mr. Shaalan performed one more act of selflessness. On the morning of the attack, the gunman came back to Mr. Shaalan’s classroom twice. On one return, he noticed an unharmed student lying next to Mr. Shaalan, who had been hit and was badly injured. As the gunman approached that student, Mr. Shaalan moved to distract him and was shot again. Virginia Tech’s tight-knit Muslim community has rallied to remember Mr. Shaalan and support his family. The national office of the Muslim Student Association has begun a collection for Mr. Shaalan’s family, with a goal of raising $25,000. “Everyone in the community is helping in their own way,” says Ahmed Sidky, a Ph.D. student in computer science and a friend of Mr. Shaalan’s. “Waleed had a huge family here in Blacksburg.” —Marisa López-Rivera Posted on Thursday April 19, 2007 | Permalink |Comments |
No one remembered how he was brave and saved some students life ..
May Allah rest him with peace. amen
— Salma Ahmed Apr 22, 06:43 PM #
Amazing how no matter what culture, what race or what religion you come from, death will come to us all and humans are all equal by nature, his brave actions of helping another in his last moment prove that we are all in need of others no matter what background, amazing..
May allah rest him with peace, and inshallah biljennah
— Ayah Wali Apr 23, 02:04 AM #
Waleed was one of my best friends Egypt, he he was a symbol of purity and what we call in Egypt“white heart”, I hope he rest in peace. goodbye my friend and my Allah have mery on you
— maged Mohamed Apr 23, 08:31 AM #
My heart goes out to the freiends and family of this Waleed.I prayers are with you at this time. where can we send a donation for the family ?
— Tf Apr 23, 09:18 AM #
nothing we can say can make it better.
may allah rest his soul and place hem in Jennah
Amen
— Maisa Asha Apr 23, 10:20 AM #
What are you talking about, Salma? nobody remembered? It says right there in the article that the whole community is remembering him
— zikten Apr 25, 08:00 AM #