The actor, 71, also talked about the pressure of political correctness - claiming people were too afraid to speak out on the actions of other groups for fear of being seen judgmental.
Mr Rhys-Davies, who played the dwarf Gimli in the blockbuster trilogy, made his comments on The Adam Carolla Show, while promoting his new film Return To The Hiding Place, about the persecution of Jews in Holland during World War II.
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The conversation quickly switched to modern-day atrocities, including the ISIS beheadings in the Middle East.