The abduction of more than 240 Nigerian girls has shocked the world. Unfortunately their case is not an isolated one. Indeed, Nigeria's torment is shared by many other African countries, and the motivation behind the kidnapping derives from an ideology that is global.
That ideology is based on a warped and false view of religion. It is taught in formal and informal school settings worldwide.
Of course, the hideous and crazed words of the leader of Boko Haram, the group that kidnapped the girls, are representative only of the most extreme fringe of this ideology. But until we clean the soil in which this poisonous plant takes root, it will continue to blight the life chances of millions of young people around the world — and jeopardize our own security.