Sheikh Kamel al-Qassab (1853–1954) was the founder of the Syrian Higher National Committee in 1919.
He was a religious scholar, and a former student of Muḥammad ʿAbduh (1849–1905) in Cairo.
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 he travelled to Haifa, established a school there, and then joined the militant Izz ad-Din al-Qassam.
In 1947, the state-run "Faculty of Sharia" was initiated in Damascus by al-Qassab.