He was born to Syriac Orthodox parents Moussa Elias Achi and Shmouneh Hanna Kanun from the villages of Esfes and Azekh in Tur Abdin.

[2] In Beirut, Salim's father worked at the American University printing press until he was drafted to fight in the First World War.

Daheshism can be summarized as belief in the existence and immortality of the spirit; reincarnation; the intrinsic correlation between all the major religions; spiritual causality and just reward (i.e. karma).

His publishing career included essays, poetry, short stories, novels, and an autobiography, and exceeded 150 works.

The Dahesh Heritage Center, also includes the offices of the Daheshist Publishing Company, on Broadway, New York.