Editing Mohammad Najibullah (section)

====An Islamic state====
During [[Babrak Karmal]]'s later years, and during Najibullah's tenure, the PDPA tried to improve their standing with Muslims by moving, or appearing to move, to the political centre. They wanted to create a new image for the party and state. Communist symbols were either replaced or removed. These measures did not contribute to any notable increase in support for the government, because the mujahideen had a stronger legitimacy to protect Islam than the government; they had rebelled against what they saw as an anti-Islamic government, that government was the PDPA.<ref>{{cite book |last = Riaz | first = Ali | author-link = Ali Riaz | title = Religion and politics in South Asia | publisher = [[Taylor & Francis]] | year = 2010 | isbn = 978-0-415-77800-8 | page = [https://books.google.com/books?id=vzI8e-zJf5YC&pg=PA34 34] }}</ref> Islamic principles were embedded in the 1987 constitution, for instance, Article 2 of the constitution stated that [[Islam]] was the state religion, and Article 73 stated that the head of state had to be born into a Muslim Afghan family. The 1990 constitution stated that Afghanistan was an [[Islamic state]], and the last references to [[communism]] were removed.<ref>{{cite book | author = Yassari, Nadjma | title = The Sharīʻa in the Constitutions of Afghanistan, Iran, and Egypt: Implications for Private Law | publisher = Mohr Siebeck | year = 2005 | isbn = 978-3-16-148787-3 | page = [https://books.google.com/books?id=CMGfLzYWeW4C&pg=PA15 15] }}</ref> Article 1 of the 1990 Constitution said that Afghanistan was an "independent, unitary and Islamic state."<ref name="IslamicState"/> In 1990, Najibullah abolished the [[Democratic Women's Organisation of Afghanistan]], eradicating their Marxist rhetoric as early as 1986, and replaced it with the apolitical [[Afghan Women's Council]], which is still in existence.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Moghadam |first=Valentine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iKsSEulnPTsC&dq=Firuza+Wardak&pg=PA70 |title=From Patriarchy to Empowerment: Women’s Participation, Movements, and Rights in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia |date=2007-06-18 |publisher=Syracuse University Press |isbn=978-0-8156-3111-8 |language=en}}</ref>

In 1992, Najibullah appealed to the [[United States]] to help Afghanistan become a bulwark against the spread of [[Islamic fundamentalism]]. He said: “If fundamentalism comes to Afghanistan, war will continue for many more years. Afghanistan will turn into a centre of world smuggling for narcotic drugs. Afghanistan will be turned into a centre for terrorism”.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Najibullah |first=Muska |date=27 September 2021 |title=My father was brutally killed by the Taliban. The US ignored his pleas for help |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/sep/27/father-killed-taliban-us-ignored-pleas-daughter-afghan-president |access-date=29 January 2025 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>