Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has said he is praying for kidnapped schoolgirls, their families and the Nigerian people, calling on the kidnappers to immediately free the girls.

Gülen described the kidnapping as a “saddening” incident in a statement he released on Saturday and condemned the “inhumane and meaningless action.”

“I invite the kidnappers to immediately free the girls,” Gülen said about nearly 300 girls kidnapped in Nigeria by Boko Haram militants.

Boko Haram terrorist network claimed responsibility for the April 15 kidnapping of 276 teenage girls from their boarding school in Chibok, in northeastern Borno state. The insurgents threatened to sell the young women into slavery.

Gülen said the right to education is among fundamental human rights that are guaranteed under Islam for both men and women and that attempting to restrict these rights is a mistake and will only serve to some personal and political thoughts.

“Our Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) and women who came after him during the golden period have undertaken important roles in many spheres including education and trade,” Gülen added.

He said he has always believed that education, be it for boys or girls, is the healthiest way to realize high humanistic potential in the nature of youth and that he has always stressed this. He stated that noble humanistic values such as respect to people and the rule of law could be taught to young generations through education and characters equipped with these values could be constructed. He noted that the education is also the best antidote against ignorance — the source of many social problems.

“While kidnapping of schoolgirls in Nigeria is a violation of rights of the students and their families, the incident also underscores the need for an understanding for an integrated education that could result in high human values,” Gülen said. He said at the end of the statement that he is praying for kidnapped schoolgirls, their families and the Nigerian people.