Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The former political editor of the Sun wrote the article in August

The UK's press regulator has dismissed a complaint against the Sun for a column that referred to "the Muslim Problem".

The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) ruled Trevor Kavanagh's column was "capable of causing serious offence" but did not breach the Editors' Code.

Mr Kavanagh said it was "acceptable to say Muslims are a specific rather than a cultural problem".

The Sun said he had already apologised.

The regulator said the comment could be compared to language used at the time of the Holocaust.

But a spokesman for The Sun said: "[He] didn't realise that his words could be compared to the phrase 'the Jewish Problem'."

'Unspoken fear'

IPSO said the former political editor, who is also a member of the regulatory board, played no part in the adjudication.

It said the article had not discriminated against an individual and could not be mistaken for fact.

Mr Kavanagh's column was published after the conviction, in August, of 18 people in Newcastle for being involved in a child sex abuse network.

He said there was "one unspoken fear, gagged by political correctness," adding that "the common denominator, almost unsayable until last week's furore over Pakistani sex gangs, is Islam".

IPSO noted "it was inaccurate to refer to female genital mutilation and 'honour' killings as examples of 'Muslim sex crimes'.

'Deeply disappointing'

The regulator said despite many being offended by the article, there was no clause in the code which "prohibits publication of offensive content".

When it was published, the article was condemned in an open letter signed by more than 100 MPs.

The ruling comes after former Labour minister Sarah Champion quit the party's front bench following the publication of an article which appeared in the same edition as Mr Kavanagh's comments.

Miqdaad Versi, assistant general secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain said the decision was "deeply disappointing, albeit not unexpected".

"What is truly astonishing is that regardless of the specifics of the Code, IPSO does not seem to have any concern that one of its board members used this Nazi-like phrase about Muslims."

The Board of Deputies of British Jews said the decision suggested IPSO was "unfit for purpose" and called for a review of the code.