Sheikh Kamel al-Qassab (1853–1954) was the founder of the Syrian Higher National Committee in 1919.
He was born in
Damascus, with ancestry from
Homs. He was a religious scholar, and a former student of
Muḥammad ʿAbduh
Muḥammad ʿAbduh (1849 – 11 July 1905) (also spelled Mohammed Abduh, ar, محمد عبده) was an Egyptians, Egyptian Ulama, Islamic scholar, journalist, teacher, author, editor, Judge (Islamic law), judge, and Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah#Grand ...
(1849–1905) in Cairo.
Al-Qassab became known for his public speeches against Ottoman corruption. He was arrested by the Ottoman authorities and imprisoned for several months
After the First World War, he spoke against the British and the French, claiming their goal was to eliminate Islam and occupy his country.
During
Mandatory Palestine
Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 ...
he travelled to
Haifa
Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
, established a school there, and then joined the militant
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam
Izz ad-Din Abd al-Qadar ibn Mustafa ibn Yusuf ibn Muhammad al-Qassam (1881 or 19 December 1882 – 20 November 1935) ( ar, عز الدين بن عبد القادر بن مصطفى بن يوسف بن محمد القسام / ALA-LC: ) was a Syria ...
.
In 1947, the state-run "
Faculty of Sharia" was initiated in Damascus by al-Qassab.
References
Syrian politicians
1853 births
1954 deaths
{{Syria-politician-stub