Iranian VP condemns abduction of Nigerian girls by Boko Haram

Iran's Vice-President for Women and Families Affairs Shahindokht Mollaverdi deplored the recent abduction of more than two hundred Nigerian school girls by Boko Haram, a Wahhabi Al-Qaeda affiliate in Nigeria, and described it as a move in violation of Islamic rules and teachings. The Iranian official expressed concern about the abduction of the Nigerian girls, and asked for harmonized efforts by the concerned officials and well-wishers to both condemn such moves and to do their best to free the kidnapped girls and return them to their families. She rejected the existence of any relation between the extremists who act so harshly and inhumanely with Islam which calls for the annihilation of all types of discrimination based on racism, sex, wealth and other differences among the mankind. On Tuesday, the Iranian foreign ministry deplored the kidnapping the Nigerian school girls by Boko Haram. "Unfortunately, Nigeria has been entangled by the terrorist groups for a while and its security and stability have been endangered and the Nigerian citizens have sustained loss and damage," Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham told reporters in Tehran on Tuesday. She expressed concern about the abduction of the Nigerian girls, and said, "We completely reject this inhumane act as an unacceptable move and we hope that action will be adopted to prevent operation of extremist groups and terrorists in Nigeria and the world and we hope that stability and tranquility will be established in that country at the earliest." Fears for the fate of 276 Nigerian girls turned even more nightmarish Monday when the leader of the Boko Haram militant group that kidnapped them announced plans to sell them. Boko Haram is a militant group receiving training from Al-Qaeda affiliates. Its name means "Western education is sin." In his nearly hour-long video, Boko Haram?s leader Abubakar Shekau repeatedly called for western education to end.