People News

Russell Crowe: Why can't he express opinion of circumcision?

By April MacIntyre Jun 11, 2011, 16:14 GMT

05/15/2010 - Russell Crowe - Russell Crowe, Kevin Durand, Scott Grimes and Alan Doyle in Concert to Promote "Robin Hood" on the Spanish Steps in Rome - May 15, 2010 - Spanish Steps - Rome, Italy © Insidefoto / PR Photos

Once again, the use of Twitter has landed a famous person in the media crosshairs.

Russell Crowe expressed his dislike for the practice of circumcision on male infants, a practice increasingly scrutinized and shunned by people who feel it is a form of genital mutilation.         

E! Online reported that the actor replied to a fan on Thursday, who asked whether he was going to have his newborn son circumcised.

Crowe responded: ""Circumcision is barbaric and stupid. Who are you to correct nature? Is it real that GOD requires a donation of foreskin?"

He added: "I love my Jewish friends, I love the apples and the honey and the funny little hats but stop cutting yr babies.if u feel it is yr right 2 cut things off yr babies please unfollow and f**k off, I'll take attentive parenting over barbarism."

He replaced that with:  "This is a great forum for communication,I,like any human have my opinions and you all have yours, thank you for trusting me with them...
10 Jun"

Crowe is hardly an anti-semite. Reuters reported back in 2004 that Crowe was so upset by a fire-bombing at a Jewish school in Montreal, Canada he donated large sums of cash to rebuild.

While he was filming Cinderella Man in Canada, the United Talmud Torahs elementary school was fire-bombed with a note with anti-Semitic comments was found on the outside wall of the gutted library.

"He [Crowe] said he was very upset about what had happened, that a place of learning should be attacked that way," said spokesperson Shelley Paris, who was appreciative of the actor's largesse.

"He wanted to make sure that our students knew that he was thinking about them and that he was very upset about the fire-bombing."

Crowe's donation helped rebuild the library, Paris said.

Crowe, who is about to star in kung-fu movie The Man With the Iron Fists, removed the tweets, replacing them with messages of apology.

Crowe Tweeted:  "I have a deep and abiding love for all people of all nationalities, I'm very sorry that I have said things on here that have caused distress. My personal beliefs aside I realize that some will interpret this debate as me mocking the rituals and traditions of others. I am very sorry."