British tabloid blames Islam for sex crimes in Europe

United Kingdom-based tabloid, The Sun, has gone under fire for a recent article, accused of spreading Islamophobia.

The controversial article was written by the tabloid's former political editor, Trevor Kavanagh, who's been criticized for using Nazi-like language to reference the Muslim community in Britain and suggesting that the latter is facing a "Muslim Problem."

Over 100 cross-party politicians, along with Jewish and Muslim organizations, have called for action against the publication over Kavanagh's piece.

In the article, Kavanagh blames Muslim immigrants for the "wave of rape and other sex crimes" in European countries. 

He cites Islam as the "one unspoken fear" targeting said countries, arguing that the former is the "common denominator" among the sex crimes he discusses. 

"It is acceptable to say Muslims are a specific rather than a cultural problem."

He goes on to accuse British authorities of disregarding "Muslim sex crimes," such as female genital mutilation - which actually has nothing to do with any faith and predates both Christianity and Islam, according to the Human Rights Watch.

Kavanagh concludes his article with the most problematic statement in the piece, asking, "What will we do about The Muslim Problem [after Brexit]?"

That expression, "The Muslim Problem", has drawn direct parallels with "The Jewish Problem" - a phrase used in Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany, leading to the genocide of six million Jews, according to The Independent. 

As social media users have pointed out, Kavanagh originally wrote "The Muslim Problem" with the letters capitalized, indicating reference to the Nazi term, before editing the expression to "the Muslim problem."

The article has caused quite the stir, with 107 cross-party politicians demanding that authorities take action.

The Independent reports that members of parliament from the Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democratic, and the Green parties have joined forces to deliver an open letter asking for the appropriate measures to be taken.

In the letter, signatories said they "were truly outraged by the hate and bigotry" prevalent in the article, calling out The Sun for "using Nazi-like language" and publishing "statements that incite Islamophobia and stigmatise entire communities."

Additionally, Jewish and Muslim organisations have issued a joint complaint regarding the piece to the press regulator, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso), which has reportedly received a total of 150 complaints over the article.

A spokesperson for The Sun came to Kavanagh's defence, saying, "We strongly reject the allegation that Trevor Kavanagh is inciting Islamophobia. He is reflecting the links between immigration, religion and crime in the context of a trial of largely Pakistani sex gangs."

He added that accusing Kavanagh of promoting Islamophobia "is a deliberate misreading of a very serious subject," claiming that using Nazi terminology "was never the intention."