KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- The Afghan government has banned the movie "The Kite Runner" from theaters and DVD shops, fearing it could fuel ethnic tensions.

A deputy in the Ministry of Information and Culture says shops selling the film will be closed, though Afghan shop owners with stalls at U.S. military bases are still selling the movie.

The deputy minister says the film is "humiliating for one of our ethnic groups."

It also has a scene depicting the rape of a young boy.

"The Kite Runner" is based on the 2003 best-selling novel that highlights the tension between two ethnic groups which fought bitterly during Afghanistan's 1990s civil war.

Ethnic violence has not been a problem recently, but many Afghans fear any hairpin trigger that could reawaken the infighting.

The movie was never scheduled for release in Afghanistan, but officials are worried about pirated DVDs.