KUALA LUMPUR: “Inappropriate”. “Insensitive”. “Buta agama” (religious ignorance). “Provoking fitnah” (slander).
These are some of the harsh words that were posted on actress Nur Fazura Sharifuddin’s instagram account, following a photo which she took recently with a dog named Kuning at a recent charity event held to raise funds for an animal shelter, Furry Friends Farm, at Bangsar Village here.
One follower even decided to “unfollow” Fazura on her instagram (@missfazura) because of the photo.
Fazura’s posted the photo three days ago with the caption “Our superhero ‘Kuning’ who loves his friends and everyone he meets. An example to many humans. Love more, hate less : ) #WeLoveKuning #FurryFriendsFarm”.
It garnered more than 11,000 “likes” and over 1,000 of comments from her followers, which currently stands at 1.2 million.
The 31-year-old beauty, best known for her roles in the romcom Pisau Cukur, horror comedy Kami Histeria and hit TV series Gol & Gincu, does not take any of the criticisms sitting down.
“Love seeing true colours of humans. Keep commenting!” she wrote.
In another, she said: “I am feeling very happy and confident with my faith. So much love in my heart for the creations of Allah SWT. Subhanallah! Let the stupid stay ignorant.”
The actress, who is travelling at the moment, could not be reached for comment.
Through her manager, we were informed that the photo was part of her Sayangi Dirimu campaign, currently ongoing in support of her new self-empowerment song, Sayangi Dirimu.
Composed by Damien VE with lyrics by Shah Shamshiri, Sayangi Dirimu’s official music video was released on YouTube last month. It has since received more than 314,000 views.
Furry Friends Farm is a sanctuary for rescued, abandoned, abused and stray dogs and cats. Located in Kundang, Selangor, the home has over 300 dogs, 150 cats and a goat. The sanctuary was previously run by its late founder, Sabrina Yeap, until her passing in 2012.
In the photo, the actress was not in any physical contact with the dog, which was on a leash and was believed to be managed by a handler (not in the picture). Fazura also posted a second photo with a goat named Rajoo (she is seen leaning on Rajoo’s head).
The “virtual war” also shows undivided support by Fazura’s fans.
“Fazura didn’t even touch the dog. Stop being so judgmental!” a fan wrote.
“I literally laugh at you people. Good job to those who see clearly enough” said another fan, who added that it is “pathetic” when a photo could generate so much negativity.
Another fan posted “Those who like to judge others should look at themselves first”, while follower wrote: “The haters don’t mean s***. people like yourself (Fazura) are making the world a better place”.
A line from Taylor Swift’s song Shake It Off also made it to the post: “Haters gonna hate”.