Waleed Shaalan- A Tribute to a Muslim Hero at Virginia Tech [11 UPDATES]
Last Update #11 posted on 5/11/07 with pictures of Janazah courtesy Facebook group (updates appended at the top)
Action Alerts: (a) Make Dua' for the brother, his family, and for all the victims of the tragedy, (b) Donate to Br. Waleed's memorial fund here: MSA National Memorial Fund for Waleed’s Family ($20,000 collected, goal is $25,000) (c)
You can also pay tribute to the brother on Facebook and on NY Times.
Br. Waleed Shaalan, a student at VA Tech, died in the shooting rampage that occurred there. He is survived by his wife of 3 years, Amira, and
Khaled, his 1-year old son. Can it get more tragic? This entry is dedicated to him and his family. Please add your
thoughts and your dua's. We would especially like to hear from friends and acquaintances to shed more light on this brother, so that he is not forgotten among the victims of the massacre. We will be trying to get in touch with Br. Ahmed Sidky to give more of his thoughts inshallah. This post will be updated as more information becomes available. When you read this, make dua' for the brother and his family.
Update 9: This tribute along with comments will be packaged and shipped off or hand-delivered if possible to Br. Waleed's family inshallah. See this post.David Neiwert, a freelance journalist and book author, has written an interesting piece on his Orcinus blog. This is only an example of the posts and the articles that will become the legacy of Br. Waleed's heroic act. Thank you David, who begins his entry with: “Hey everyone. You heroic right-wing bloggers especially. I want you to meet a real hero.” [MORE]
Update 8: New pictures posted in memory of Br. Waleed at MSA Website @”MSA pictures in Memory of our brother Waleed Shaalan“. Other news story links:
- “Egyptian Among Virginia Shooting Victims“; Gaurdian story has a statements from Br.Waleed's parents.
- “Friends say Waleed Shaalan Saved Students, Died a Hero“; video clip from TV Station WDBJ7 [click on video box just above the picture of the building]
- “Student Gave His Life To Save Others” at Sky TV's website. Also see FOX News and BBC News in Arabic
Update 7: People magazine has added a photo special with Br. Waleed after contacting MuslimMatters. At our request
Update 6:
Janazah (Funeral) Prayer
1:30 PM – Thursday April 19th at Masjid Al-Ihsan (North Main Mosque)
Elhamdel Allah Br. Waleed’s body has arrived in Blacksburg. Two brothers have seen him and said his face is shining and, as always, he is smiling.
Inshaa Allah Janazah (Funeral) Prayers will be held on Thursday, April 19th, at Masjid Al-Ihsan (North Main Mosque) at 1:30 PM sharp.
We know this is a very late notice, however, we urge everyone to attend and to convey this information to as many Muslims as you can. The more people attending the prayer, the better it is for Br. Waleed.
Due to limited parking spaces, please try to carpool or use the Food Lion parking lot nearby.
Please, no media is invited.
Update 5:
NY Times is reporting that Brother Shaalan was also a hero that day. According to Randy Dymond, a civil engineering professor at Virginia Tech, Mr. Shaalan saved the life of a fellow graduate student just before he died. Mr. Dymond said the student recounted to him how he and Mr. Shaalan were both in the first classroom the gunman entered. Mr. Shaalan was badly wounded and lay beside the 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.”Waleed was bright, energetic and caring,” Mr. Dymond said. “The reason we are in higher education is because there are students who are the bright light to the future. Waleed was one of them.”
Update 4:
MSA-VT released the following statements (appended below):How Waleed Shaalan saves a classmate's lifeStory is narrated by Dr. Hesham Rakha, a professor in the Civil Engineering Department. At this time, we do not have a last name for Waleed's classmate that survived, but his first name is Nathaniel.I would like to share with you some additional information that I received from a colleague in the CEE Dept. This colleague of mine is the supervisor of a graduate student who was with Waleed in the class and survived the massacre. I should mention that the description is graphical so I apologize in advance. The student mentions that Waleed saved his life and wants to convey this to Waleed's family. Apparently, the murderer came into Norris 206 and shot Dr. Loganathan and a number of students injuring Waleed. Waleed was sitting in the front row where he always sat. Everyone jumped to the floor after hearing the gun shots including the person narrating the story. The murderer then left Norris 206 to go to another classroom.The student that narrates the story was not shot but pretended to be dead and lay on the ground beside Waleed who at that time was only injured. The murderer then re-entered the classroom and was checking for alive victims. He had approached the person narrating the story who mentions that his heart was pounding out of fear. Waleed at that instant made a movement to distract the murderer's attention and was shot for the second time. At that time Waleed died and the murderer left the narrator to search for other victims.To Allah we belong and to Allah we will return.We ask Allah to forgive Waleed and all of his sins and grant him paradise.
———————-
Brother Waleed Shaalan, a victim of the Virginia tech shootings.
Waleed Shaalan, 32 years old, first stepped onto the Virginia Tech campus in August 2006. An international student originally from Zagazig, Egypt, with no family members in the United States, Waleed quickly became an essential member of the Blacksburg Muslim community. Among those mourning his death are his two roommates (Fahad Pasha and Irfan Waseem) to whom Waleed was their loving older brother, cook, academic and spiritual mentor.Waleed initially began his PhD program in Egypt, but when Virginia Tech offered him an assistantship position, he chose to leave his original degree path and continue it in Blacksburg. Following in the footsteps of his father, Waleed was a dedicated and passionate student of Civil Engineering. Though he had a hectic schedule, juggling classes, PhD research and TA responsibilities, he always made time for the people around him. Waleed was known for his broad smile and wave that he gave everyone.”He was the simplest and nicest guy I ever knew.We would be studying for our exams and he would go buy a cake and make tea for us,” said Fahad, Waleed's roommate. Fahad was the last person to have spoken to Waleed, he remarked “He was studying late for an exam the morning of the incident; it was about 4 am when I last saw and spoke to him. We were talking about how amazing it would be once he brought his wife and son to Tech after the summer. I could never have imagined that in 5 hours he’d be gone forever.”Waleed left behind Amira, his wife for 3 years, and Khaled his one-year old son.As we express our grief and sympathy for the families of all those directly affected by this senseless tragedy, we honor them through memory and reflection; and Waleed will always be smiling in our hearts.We have set up a fund to support Br. Waleed Shaalan's family. Click here to donate.
——————–MSA Official Statement about the VT Massacre
Monday, April 16, 2007. Peace to all. The Muslim Students Association, along with the wider campus of Virginia Tech, extends its deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of those victims affected by today's events. We are shocked at this senseless loss of life and we feel the pain and outrage of the student body. We open our hearts and ears to anyone wishing counsel or comfort and pray that our collective pain will be eased through patience and sharing. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) tells us, “Patience comes only at the first moment of grief.” The Hokie family is in our prayers..
Update 3:
More photos added at the bottom courtesy Br. Waleed's friends.
Update 2:
Br. MR pointed us to pictures and biography of the brother. Br. Waleed was 32 years old, over 6′, doing his Doctorate in Civil Engineering. He had been married for 3 years.Waleed Shaalan first stepped onto the Virginia Tech campus in August 2006. An international student originally from Zagazig Egypt, with no family members in the United States, Waleed was quickly adopted as an essential member of the Blacksburg Muslim community. Among those mourning his death are his two roommates (Fahad Pasha and Irfan Waseem) to whom Waleed was their loving older brother, cook, academic and spiritual mentor.Waleed initially began his PhD program in Egypt, but when Virginia Tech offered him an assistance-ship position, he chose to leave his original degree path and continue it in Blacksburg. Following in the footsteps of his father, Waleed was a dedicated and passionate student of Civil Engineering. Though he had a hectic schedule, juggling classes, PhD research and TA responsibilities, he always made time for the people around him. Waleed was known for his broad smile and wave that he gave everyone.
Update 1:
Sh. Yasir spoke to Br. Ahmed, and inshallah we should be receiving something from him in terms of a statement and possibly photos. Br. Ahmed was still very much emotional, as one can expect him to be. Br. Ahmed also mentioned that rather amazingly, a reporter came to their Masjid trying to find out if the killer attended it! Desperate for the elusive Muslim link!



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