It has been more than three weeks since Nigerian militant group Boko Haram abducted over 230 schoolgirls.

On April 14, militants executed their vicious plan by kidnapping these students. Government agencies have failed to track them until now.

Luckily, 43 of these girls managed to escape.

One of the escapees said that the members of the terrorist group entered their school waving firearms. Later, they dragged the girls, herding them like animals into trucks, and headed for an unknown destination. Many fear that the girls might have been sexually and mentally abused or possibly killed during captivity.

Educational institutions in some countries remain prone to attacks by groups like Boko Haram. Boko Haram is a terrorist organization. Since 2002, when the group was set up, it has grown increasingly aggressive.

It is a fact that extremist elements achieve their goals by dismantling society through their anti-educational stance, considering it as their first priority.

Boko Haram is not the first group to adopt this policy. The Nigerian kidnapping reminds us of Joseph Kony, the founder of a rebel group who was later indicted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

In 1996, Kony kidnapped over 130 schoolgirls in Northern Uganda. Rachele Fassera, a nun, traced the girls' whereabouts and negotiated the release of all of them, but failed to rescue 30.

The event also reminds us of Malala Yousufzai, a young education campaigner, who was attacked by Pakistani Taleban in 2012.

Students in Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Mali and many other countries face frequent threats from terrorists.

These organizations justify their crimes in a number of ways, including claiming that the Western education is the major cause of "evil" in the world.

The case is same with Boko Haram. The group takes pride in following traditional ways and dividing education into religious and secular classification — no other tactic may have been proven to be so helpful in achieving their goals.

Unfortunately, the United Nations and world powers have failed to handle the issue of the missing girls. They must react before it's too late.

Religious bodies of the world must also address the issue. No religion in the world sanctions such acts. Extremism is condemnable in all its forms.

Islamic bodies, including the OIC, must join hands to resolve the Nigerian crisis. They must play a role in securing the release of the girls kidnapped by Boko Haram. They must tell the world that Islam is a religion of peace. It calls for educating both men and women and regards it as the basis for a just society.

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