Ghulam Mohammad Niazi was the founder of Jamiat-e-Islami Afghanistan. Many of Afghanistan’s most prominent political players both today, and in history, were influenced and/or educated by him, including such people as Burhanuddin Rabbani, and Abdul Rasul Sayaf. Niazi was born in Ghazni and received his Masters degree from the famous Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. After receiving his Masters, Niazi returned to Afghanistan, and became a professor at Kabul University. Very soon afterwards, he headed the faculty of Islamic Studies. Niazi was a firm believer in Muslim unity, and wanted a modern and Islamic government in Afghanistan. In 1972, one of his students, Burhanuddin Rabbani, succeeded him as the head of Jamiat-e-Islami. In 1974, he was arrested and put in jail by Mohammad Daoud Khan, and on May 28, 1979, he was killed by the Khalqi government.