Hollywood star George Clooney has written a column to blast reports suggesting his fiancee's mother is opposed to their marriage because of her religious beliefs.
Clooney and Alamuddin, a lawyer, are reportedly set to wed in September this year.
The actor, who is usually tight-lipped about his private life, made an exception following the publication of an article suggesting Amal Alamuddin's Lebanese mum Baria is against the wedding because she wants her daughter to marry into the Druze religion, reports contactmusic.com.
In the column, published in the USAToday newspaper on Wednesday, the actor publicly acknowledged his engagement for the first time while blasting the original story.
Clooney wrote: "I seldom respond to tabloids, unless it involves someone else and their safety or well being. The Daily Mail has printed a completely fabricated story about my fiancee's mother opposing our marriage for religious reasons. It says Amal's mother has been telling 'half of Beirut' that she's against the wedding. It says they joke about traditions in the Druze religion that end up with the death of the bride. Let me repeat that: the death of the bride.
"First of all, none of the story is factually true. Amal's mother is not Druze. She has not been to Beirut since Amal and I have been dating, and she is in no way against the marriage - but none of that is the issue.
"This lie involves larger issues. The irresponsibility, in this day and age, 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... And when they put my family and my friends in harm's way, they cross far beyond just a laughable tabloid and into the arena of inciting violence."
Thursday, July 10, 2014 15:05 IST