LONDON // British website Mail Online apologised to George Clooney on Wednesday for alleging that his fiancee’s mother opposed their marriage on religious grounds – a story Clooney called both wrong and irresponsible.
George Clooney earlier chastised Britain’s Daily Mail tabloid over the “completely fabricated” article, calling claims about his future mother-in-law Baria Alamuddin untrue and irresponsible.
He and London lawyer Amal Alamuddin announced their engagement in April. Beirut-born Alamuddin comes from a Druse family – adherents of a monotheistic religion based mainly in Lebanon, Syria and Israel.
The Daily Mail had cited unnamed “friends” as saying Amal Alamuddin risked being “cast out of the community” because she was not marrying a Druse man. The newspaper said “several women have been murdered” for not abiding by strict Druse rules.
Clooney said in a statement that “none of the story is true. Amal’s mother is not Druse. She has not been to Beirut since Amal and I have been dating, and she is in no way against the marriage.”
Clooney added that “to exploit religious differences where none exist is at the very least negligent and more appropriately dangerous”.
“We have family members all over the world, and the idea that someone would inflame any part of that world for the sole reason of selling papers should be criminal,” he said.
The Daily Mail did not respond to a request for comment.
Clooney, 53, was married to actress Talia Balsam from 1989 to 1993. This will be the first marriage for 36-year-old Alamuddin.
The Druse are a close-knit community and rarely marry outside their sect. But some Druse have welcomed Clooney.
Walid Jumblatt, political leader of the sect in Lebanon, said recently that he hoped the couple would soon visit the Druse heartland.
Clooney will bring us “great publicity”, Jumblatt said. “He can make a movie about the Druse sect.”
* Associated Press
