George Clooney vehemently hit back at a tabloid report claiming his future mother-in-law, Baria, is opposed to the upcoming marriage between her daughter Amal Alamudden and the movie star.

The Daily Mail article focused mainly on Amal, who is British-Lebanese, choosing to marry outside the Druze religion and how her mother is reportedly upset at the prospect of her tying the knot with an “outsider.” Sources were deemed to be “close family friends” and “Lebanese friends.”

But it was two paragraphs in particular that George took offense to:

“There can be harsh penalties for those Druze who marry outsiders. Several women have been murdered for disobeying the rules. Last year a Sunni Muslim man had his penis severed by the male relatives of a Druze woman who defied her family by marrying him.”

The friend added: “There have a been a few jokes in the family about the same thing happening to George!”

Although the 53-year-old noted, “I seldom respond to tabloids,” he penned an essay for USA Today stating the circumstances were different given “it involves someone else and their safety or well being.”

The Ocean’s Eleven star wrote that none of the story was factually true, including the part about Amal’s mother being Druze. “She has not been to Beirut since Amal and I have been dating, and she is in no way against the marriage,” he added.

george clooney

“But this lie involves larger issues,” George continued. “The irresponsibility, in this day and age, to exploit religious differences where none exist, is at the very least negligent and more appropriately dangerous,” adding the Daily Mail‘s actions “should be criminal.”

The newspaper responded to the actor’s comments, insisting “their story was not a fabrication but supplied in good faith by a reputable and trusted freelance journalist,” though they apologized to George, Amal and Baria “for any distress caused.”

The article has since been removed, and the tabloid “will be contacting Mr Clooney’s representatives to discuss giving him the opportunity to set the record straight.”