Dr. Dahesh
| Dr. Dahesh | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
Salim Moussa Achi 1909 Jerusalem |
| Died |
1984 New York |
| Nationality | Lebanese |
| Religion | Daheshism |
Dr. Dahesh (in Arabic الدكتور داهش) (b. in Jerusalem in 1909 – died in New York in 1984) was the name-title and pen name of Salim Moussa Achi (in Arabic سليم موسى عشّي) founder of Daheshism.
Life
Salim Moussa Achi was born in Jerusalem on June 1, 1909, and shortly after moved with his parents to Beirut, Lebanon.
He was a Lebanese humanist, author, philosopher, and purported worker of miracles.[1] By the age of 21, he had adopted the name Dahesh, Arabic for "inspiring wonder".
Dr. Dahesh established Daheshism as a religion in 1942. The spiritual message of Daheshism can be summarized in a belief in the existence and immortality of the spirit, reincarnation, the unity of religions and the spiritual causality and just reward (karma). His publishing career included essays, poetry, short stories, novels, and an autobiography, and exceeded 150 works.[2]
Dahesh was imprisoned on September 9, 1944[3] and later on stripped of his Lebanese nationality and exiled from Lebanon in 1944 during the reign of Lebanese President Bechara El Khoury. In 1953, Lebanon, the newly elected President Camille Chamoun restored his citizenship.
Dr. Dahesh died in 1984, in New York.
Art legacy
Dahesh began collecting works of art around 1930 and continued to do so for the rest of his life. Today, his art collection belongs to New York City's Dahesh Museum of Art.[4]
He also formed the Dahesh Library, the largest private library in the Arab world, known for its literary, scientific, and artistic holdings, and for its periodical collections. The Dahesh Heritage Center, also includes the offices of the Daheshist Publishing Company, on Broadway, New York.
References
Further reading
- For a comprehensive review, please refer to Lutfi Radwan, the former Chief Editor of the Egyptian Magazine "Al Moussawar" and his book "The Miracles & Wonders of Dr. Dahesh", 1997, ISBN 0-935359-44-3, The Daheshist Publishing Co., NY.
- And other works by Dr. Iskandar Shaheen's book:, "Dr. Dahesh: A Man of Mystery", 2001, ISBN 1-931126-01-1, both published by The Daheshist Publishing Co., NY.
External links
- Dahesh Museum of Art
- Dahesh Heritage Bookstore
- Dahesh.org
- Daheshism.com
- Daheshville.com, Home of the Dahesh Society of America
- Daheshisme (Arabic)
- Dahesh related books Editions Levrier
- The Daheshist Calendar Converter