Karzai calls kidnappings 'un-Islamic'

Kabul: Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the kidnapping of 22 South Koreans was shameful and that abducting women in particular was un-Islamic.

Meanwhile, Pope Benedict appealed for the release of the hostages, condemning the exploitation of innocent people as a "grave violation of human dignity".

In his first comments on the crisis since the South Koreans were taken hostage on July 19, Karzai criticised the kidnapping of "foreign guests" and especially women as un-Islamic.

He said, "This will have a shameful effect on the dignity of the Afghan people," according to a statement from the presidential palace released after talks with a South Korean delegation.

The Pope, speaking to a crowd gathered outside his summer residence outside Rome, said, "Unfortunately the usual practice of exploiting innocent people for their own ends is spreading among armed groups,"

He added, "It is a grave violation of human dignity that clashes with every elementary norm of civility and rights and gravely offends divine law."

Beginning his passage with a reference to Afghanistan, the Pope said he appealed to the "authors of such criminal acts" to stop their activities and return their victims unharmed.