-By Warner Todd Huston
It is possible — though I hope I am wrong — that we will soon be seeing all across the MSM the claim that one of the victims of the VT shooting was a “hero” who’s actions saved the life of at least one other student and the focus on this one “hero” student will probably be because of his religion. Unfortunately, the story you might soon be hearing doesn’t pass the test of logic, though, at least not enough to bestow “hero” status upon this victim. If we see this story ballyhooed, it will be just another sad and substance-less paean to Political Correctness, just an effort to find a Muslim that the MSM can turn into a hero in an absurd effort at “equal opportunity” which might cast into disrepute the true accomplishments of the life of a VT victim.
The story of Waleed Shaalan is like that of most of the other victims of the VT murderer. Just a fellow doing his best to succeed at his studies, get a degree, and make a better life for him and his family. That is a good enough deed in and of itself and needs no other embellishment to earn respect and admiration from anyone. But, an “anonymous” emailer is attempting to create for Waleed a higher status, that of “hero”, for something that this emailer is claiming he did in his last seconds of life.
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.
Apparently this “anonymous survivor” is saying he believes that Mr. Shaalan moved to distract the killer on purpose to save the lives of those left alive in the classrom. Along with this “anonymous student” the Muslim Student Association of Virginia Tech is doing its level best to make Waleed into a “hero”.
There is no reason to diminish Mr. Waleed’s senseless death. There is nothing that should be done to sully his name over this horrendous incident. But, he was shot several times and lay dying on the floor of a classroom. It is fairly hard to believe that this dying man knowingly did anything with his dying breath just to save the lives of others and for this story to be spun making this victim into a hero seems more like a cynical attempt by this student Muslim association to get themselves noticed than to pay homage to any certified hero.
And why is this source “anonymous”? It just all seems too fanciful to believe.
This story, however, is perfect fodder to feed the aims of multiculturalism in the MSM, though. So far, among sources in the Middle East and the Middle Eastern community, I have seen it in the New York Times, Fox News, and Sky News today. It is alarming that the above news outlets have put this story forward without further investigation with them just taking the word of this Muslim student Association as fact.
I hope this claim of a Muslim VT “Hero” subsides and goes away unless it can be proven — and I don’t see how it could be. But, if the PC police find it, they will surely make a big deal of it regardless of whether it can be proven or not.
As I said, Waleed Shalaan was a sort of hero already by bettering himself and providing for his family. We are all searching for answers, but there is just no need to make of him what he was not… especially by people only trying to use his regrettable death to further their personal agendas.
Keep your eyes open for this story. But, let’s hope I am wrong.
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Warner Todd Huston’s thoughtful commentary, sometimes irreverent often historically based, is featured on many websites such as newsbusters.org, townhall.com, men’snewsdaily.com and americandaily.com among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a guest on several radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events. He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of publiusforum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston