Kamal Kanj Abu Saleh was born in 1911 in Majdal Shams. He completed his primary education at the village school. By virtue of being the son of a Mujahid (fighter), he received a scholarship to one of the Arab colleges in the city of Jerusalem, which provided educational grants to the children of Mujahideen and martyrs. His father was the great Mujahid Asad Kanj Abu Saleh, who passed away in 1963, and was one of the fighters of the Syrian revolutions against French colonialism and a leader of the revolution in the Golan region, which was one of the revolutions that fell under the banner of the Great Syrian Revolt led by the late Sultan Pasha al-Atrash. He then joined the Arab National College in Beirut, and after graduation, he enrolled in the Faculty of Law at the University of Damascus.
The “National” and Parliamentary Membership
After finishing his university studies, he joined the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP), which was led by Antoun Saadeh in the 1930s and 1940s. He was an active and effective member within the party ranks, reaching the position of the party's Dean of Defense. He ran for the Syrian democratic parliamentary elections and won in July 1947, representing the Wadi al-Ajam district, Rural Damascus, the Golan region, and the northern Golan for four years.
He played a major role in uncovering plots to establish a Druze state, and he confronted them alongside the late lawyer Kamal Abu Latif from Lebanon. He also worked consistently to strengthen the steadfastness of the Golan Druze in their villages.
In Detention
He was arrested in Israel in 1970, as well as in 1981 for six months, and again on February 13, 1982, for another six months. On February 14, he announced a general and open-ended strike, one of the conditions of which was the release of administrative detainees held by Israel, of whom he was one. He and his fellow administrative detainees were released in July 1982.
Departure
On September 15, 1983, after his health deteriorated, he suffered a heart attack, was hospitalized, and passed away, leaving behind a brilliant record of struggle and dedication.
Popular and official funeral ceremonies were held for him in the Golan and in Syria at the ceasefire line east of Majdal Shams. The funeral was attended by the former Speaker of the Palestinian National Council, Khaled al-Fahoum; the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt; a representative of the President of the Syrian Republic, Minister Abdul Karim Adi; and massive crowds from the provinces of Jabal al-Arab and Damascus. The number of mourners was estimated in the thousands.
