Clooney and fiancée’s mom get apology from U.K. paper
Story alleged rift over marriage
— Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper apologized to George Clooney on Wednesday for alleging his fiancée’s mother opposed the marriage on religious grounds — a story Clooney called both wrong and irresponsible.
Clooney is engaged to Beirut-born London lawyer Amal Alamuddin, whose father Ramzi belongs to a prominent Druse family. The Druse are adherents of a monotheistic religion based mainly in Lebanon, Syria and Israel.
Citing unnamed family “friends,” the newspaper’s MailOnline website reported this week that her mother, Baria Alamuddin, wanted her 36-year-old daughter to marry a Druseman. It said Amal Alamuddin risked being “cast out of the community” if she wed Clooney, and claimed several women had been murdered for not abiding by strict Druse rules.
Clooney called the story “completely fabricated.”
In a statement issued to USA Today, he said Baria Alamuddin — a well-known journalist — was not Druse and “is in no way against the marriage.” Clooney, 53, said that “to exploit religious differences where none exist is at the very least negligent and more appropriately dangerous.”
The newspaper said Wednesday the story had been “supplied in good faith by a reputable and trusted freelance journalist.”
“We accept Mr. Clooney’s assurance that the story is inaccurate and we apologize to him, Miss Amal Alamuddin and her mother, Baria, for any distress caused,” the Mail said. The Mail said it had removed the article from the website “and will be contacting Mr. Clooney’s representatives to discuss giving him the opportunity to set the record straight.”