French teacher faces disciplinary action after allegedly asking students to observe moment of silence in honor of Mohammed Merah; Toulouse killer´s brother says he´s proud

A French teacher faces disciplinary action for allegedly asking her students to observe a moment of silence for Toulouse terrorist Mohammed Merah a day after he was killed by police, AFP reported Friday.

According to a report on the website of French newspaper Paris Normandie, the 56-year-old English teacher in Rouen, North of Paris, urged students to honor the Toulouse killer shortly before classes started.

Some students reportedly refused the request and left the classroom, the Ministry of Education said. Class representatives then wrote a letter to the principal to report the incident.

The teacher claimed that Merah was a victim and that his supposed link to al-Qaeda was invented by the media and by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the students wrote in their letter.

While most students walked out, some stayed in the classroom in order "to try to understand what she was talking about," the student letter said.

Brother ´proud´ of Merah

Meanwhile, Merah´s older brother was quoted as saying Friday that he is "very proud" of the Toulouse killer, French newspaper Le Point reported.

Abdelkader Merah is currently in detention and on Thursday was quoted as saying that he was unaware of his brother´s murderous plans

Police shot Merah dead on Thursday after he barricaded himself in his apartment for more than a day.

Following the killing of four people at a Jewish school in Toulouse, including three children, schools across France observed a moment of silence in their memory. AFP contributed to the story (Copyright 2012 © Yedioth Internet 03/23/12)