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 The Mail Online story posted on Monday said Alamuddin's
mother was telling family in Beirut that she is not happy about
the wedding for religious reasons and that her daughter could do
better by marrying within the family's Druze religion.
"First of all, none of the story is factually true," Clooney,
53, wrote in the newspaper USA Today.
"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," he added.
The issue, he said, is that the story said that because the
Clooney nuptials will not be a Druze wedding, Alamuddin could be
cast out of the community. Women have been murdered for not
abiding by the Druze religious rules, the Mail Online's story
added.
"The irresponsibility in this day and age, to exploit religious
differences where none exist is at the very least negligent and
more appropriately dangerous," the Oscar-winning actor wrote.
Clooney, who does not usually respond to media reports about his
private life, said he does not care about fabricated stories
about where the wedding will take place or if he is running for
public office.
"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 wrote.
The Mail Online has since issued a statement apologizing to
Clooney, his fiancée and her mother for any distress the story
caused and said it has launched a full investigation.
"We have removed the article from our website and will be
contacting Mr. Clooney's representatives to discuss giving him
the opportunity to set the record straight," the statement said.
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It added that the story was supplied by a trusted freelance
journalist and was based on her contacts with senior members of the
Lebanese community in Britain and Beirut.
In the USA Today report, Clooney said the fabricated story had been
picked up by other news outlets, including Boston.com, The New York
Daily News, Gulf News and Emirates 24/7. He added that facts make no
difference to their stories.
"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," he wrote.
The Mail Online story was not published in the print edition. The
newspaper followed it up, but with a different story. The print
newspaper and the online edition are run separately.
Clooney, who won an Oscar for best supporting actor in 2006 for "Syriana,"
and shared the best picture award in 2013 for "Argo," has been
dating Alamuddin since October, according to media reports. News of
their engagement was confirmed in April when Alamuddin's legal
practice in London issued a statement congratulating the couple.
(Reporting by Patricia Reaney, additional reporting by Kate Holton
in London; Editing by G Crosse and Jonathan Oatis)
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