LOS ANGELES, July 9 (UPI) -- George Clooney is not happy with the Daily Mail.
The U.K. tabloid incited the 53-year-old actor's wrath by publishing a story about fiancée Amal Alamuddin's mother Monday. The report claimed Baria Alamuddin is opposed to the marriage on religious grounds, and has been telling "half of Beirut" she is against the wedding. Clooney published an op-ed Wednesday on USA Today to set the record straight about the "completely fabricated" tale.
"I seldom respond to tabloids, unless it involves someone else and their safety or well being," the actor writes. "None of the story is factually true ... she is in no way against the marriage."
Clooney specifically wanted to put the rumor to rest that Baria had joked about Druze religious traditions that end up with the death of the bride. He condemned the publication's "irresponsibility, in this day and age, to exploit religious difference where none exist," and called the report "negligent" and "dangerous." The actor also pointed out that Baria is not even Druze, a monotheistic religion in the Middle East.
"If they fabricate stories of Amal being pregnant, or that the marriage will take place on the set of Downton Abbey, or that I'm running for office...I don't care," the star concedes. "When they put my family and friends in harm's way, they cross far beyond just a laughable tabloid and into the arena of inciting violence."
The Daily Mail has since taken down the article, and has apologized to Clooney for the story.
