JEDDAH: The secretary-general of the world’s largest bloc of Islamic countries says the kidnapping of more than 270 Nigerian schoolgirls is a “barbaric” and “inhumane” act.

The kidnapping by the extremist group Boko Haram in Nigeria has prompted worldwide condemnation. The group claims to use Islamic teachings as justification for threatening to sell the kidnapped girls into slavery.

“This is inhumane and barbaric,” Iyad Madani told The Associated Press on Saturday from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s headquarters in Saudi Arabia in his first interview with the media since officially taking office in January.

He said such extremist groups “not only disavow their Islam, but also their humanity.”

Madani says sectarian violence is among the most important challenges facing the Muslim world. The OIC is comprised of 57 Muslim-majority member states.

Other key Muslim leaders and institutions had also denounced the Boko Haram’s crimes.

Saudi Arabia's grand mufti on Friday condemned Boko Haram as a group "set up to smear the image of Islam.”

Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Al-Sheikh said the group was "misguided" and should be "shown their wrong path and be made to reject it."

Last Thursday, the Jeddah-based International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA) condemned the abductions as a “heinous act” and demanded that the victims be immediately released without any condition.

“Crime and other crimes committed by the likes of these extremist organizations contradicts all humanitarian principles and moral values and violates the provisions of the Qur’an and Sunnah,” said the academy, which is dedicated to the advanced study of Islam.