( CNN ) -- Terrorist groups such as Boko Haram prey on girls because they fear them , Malala Yousafzai told CNN 's Christiane Amanpour on Wednesday , adding her voice to the outcry over the mass kidnappings of Nigerian girls . Malala , the Pakistani girl who made a miraculous recovery after being shot in the head by the Taliban , said women are targeted by those who fear a society in which women are empowered . Boko Haram has kidnapped hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls , an act that has become the focal point of a worldwide social media campaign demanding their return . The Malala Fund is launching a Nigerian girls education campaign around the issue . The 16-year-old human rights advocate first spoke up about the kidnappings last week . `` When I heard about girls in Nigeria being abducted , I felt very sad , and I thought , 'my sisters are imprisoned now , ' '' Malala said . `` The girls in Nigeria are my sisters and its my responsibility that I speak up for my sisters . '' Boko Haram are extremists who do n't understand Islam , she said . The religion , she says , calls for empowerment through education , not a snuffing of it . `` They should go and they should learn Islam , and I think that they should think of these girls as their own sisters . How can one imprison their own sisters and treat them in such a bad way ? '' she said . Everyone should speak up for the kidnapped girls , she said . In a photo released on social media , Malala holds a sign reading # BringBackOurGirls , joining the chorus of social media activity repeating the same demand . Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has been under fire over accusations the government initially ignored and then later downplayed the abduction of the girls . Jonathan has also accepted an offer of U.S. military support in the search for the girls . Why has n't the rescue effort produced results ?
Islam spoke with Islam 's Islam . She sees the kidnapped Nigerian girls as her sisters . Terrorists attack girls because they fear them , she says . Boko Haram are extremists who do n't understand Christiane Amanpour , Boko Haram says .