Speaking in the holy city of Qom on Sunday, Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi called Boko Haram militants a group of savage people who have nothing to do with Islam.
The Ayatolalh warned that Boko Haram is helping Islam’s enemies with their anti-religion propaganda.
The senior Iranian cleric also hailed Sunni scholars of the Muslim world for denouncing the terrorist actions of the Takfiri group.
Nigeria and its neighbors have vowed to work together to combat Boko Haram and release the abducted girls.
During a summit in Paris on Saturday, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and his counterparts from Benin, Chad, Cameron and Niger approved an action plan designed to counter the militant group.
On April 14, Boko Haram abducted 276 students from their secondary school in the northeastern town of Chibok, later threatening to “sell” the girls.
According to security forces, 53 of the girls managed to escape but 223 are still being held.
The Nigerian government has been under intense pressure by many people around the globe, the girls’ families in particular, to secure their release.
Boko Haram -- whose name means “Western education is forbidden” -- says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.
It has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly gun and bomb attacks in various parts of Nigeria since 2009.
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