Reported By:
| Edited By: |Source: ANI |Updated: Nov 21, 2013, 01:44 PM IST
Russell Crowe has apologised for his Twitter comment in which he slammed circumcision, calling the practice "barbaric and stupid."
The Gladiator star questioned the Old Testament mandate for the practice on Jewish males in his conversation with his own Jewish friend and actor Eli Roth.
However, the comment sparked immediate criticism, with media outlets reporting it as possibly anti-Semitic.
"Circumcision is barbaric and stupid. Who are you to correct nature? Is it real that GOD requires a donation of foreskin? Babies are perfect," news.com.au quoted Crowe’s Twitter comment, as saying.
Following the hue and cry, the 47-year-old Oscar-winner promptly deleted the message and offered an apology.
"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," Crowe tweeted.
"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," he added.
Giving his opinion on the controversy, Roth said that the anti-Semitic claim was out of line.
