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Aaron Aziz taking legal action after M'sian influencer portrayed him as anti-Gaza, experienced cyberbullying
The Singaporean actor, who now resides in Malaysia, experienced backlash after an edited interview clip was posted by an influencer.
October 06, 2025, 05:00 PM
Actor Aaron Aziz has recently been in the spotlight after a video of him in an interview went viral and sparked online backlash for the actor allegedly making anti-Gaza comments and being dismissive of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) mission, reported Berita Harian Malaysia.
His family has mentioned on an Instagram post that they will be looking into taking legal action on the matter as “the bullying is terrible” and that they have been affected by seeing him “crumble”.
Misunderstood remarks
The actor, who once started his career from Singapore and is now residing in Malaysia, has firmly denied the accusations of being unsupportive of Gaza and the GSF mission.
The controversy first started when an influencer, Sharina Richie, shared a clipped video of him on her Instagram, which has now been taken down.
The video made it seem like Aaron was belittling the work of those who were actively campaigning online or participating in missions like the GSF.
“There’s no need to be ‘Gaza, Gaza, Gaza’ all the time,” Aaron is seen saying in the edited clip, as shared by Plan B, “Pretending to suddenly be activists… All of that is hypocritical to me.”
Sharina reacted negatively to this, saying that activists are not spreading awareness simply because the issue is now “mainstream” or because they are trying to ride any sort of hype “wave” in order to gain social traction, and denied they were being "hypocritical."
“No, sharing awareness is still an action. Not all of us can sail and be a part physically in those boats and send aid to Gaza, but we do what we can do.”
Screenshot via Threads/diyanahalik
Netizens have largely reacted by making incendiary remarks, such as it was "natural" for him to be on Israel’s side just because he is Singaporean and that he “ought to return to his birthplace”.
Interview taken out of context, Aaron Aziz said
However, Aaron Aziz has subsequently clarified in a Facebook post that his comments during the interview had been taken out of context and urged people to look at the full unedited recording of the interview instead.
Visibly upset in the video on his Facebook post, he added:
“So for those who slander me, you will answer in the afterlife… I am a Muslim, I will not not support Gaza!!”
He explained that in the full interview, as shared by MaxInfo, he had been asked his opinion on celebrities who remained quiet on social media regarding the Gaza crisis.
He reiterated that he did not mention anything about the Sumud flotilla at all.
Sensitive issues often exploited for personal gain
His response to this in the interview was that silence on platforms did not necessarily mean indifference, as some individuals may choose to contribute in less public ways.
He emphasised that sensitive issues were often exploited for personal gains or profit, and that there was no reason to post “proof” of support on social media.
“What is the point if we do speak up but there is no action? To me, that sounds hypocritical. So let us not judge people on whether they speak out publicly or remain silent.”
Family affected by backlash
Gif via Threads/dwiarianaaaron
The controversy has taken a personal toll on both himself and his family.
His daughter and wife have both shared their dismay about how the online bullying and inflammatory remarks aimed at Aaron had caused him to break down.
Image via Threads/diyanahalik
His daughter posted on Threads:
“The bullying is terrible. 19 years of my life and I’ve only seen my father break down twice. Once when his mother passed and once last night.”
She confirmed that the family “will be taking this to court” and that Sharina, whom she dubbed as “Ms Slander”, “better lawyer up babes”.
Aaron’s wife was quick to defend him as well, posting a picture on Instagram of the family with their lawyer at the law firm that will represent them.
She is now seeking help for people to send any derogatory remarks or postings on Aaron Aziz to her, presumably in order to strengthen their case and to collect evidence.
His family have also reaffirmed that they have been strong advocates since 2020 and that they “(did) not need to prove (their) support for Gaza”.
Influencer’s apology
Following Aaron’s clarification, Sharina has issued a public apology, acknowledging that the video had caused a misunderstanding and unfairly damaged the actor’s reputation.
In her Instagram video, she said that she sincerely apologised for the misunderstanding and that her aim was to try and spread awareness about having a platform and the small ways one can make an impact, even if it is just re-posting.
“It wasn’t my intention to jatuh fitnah (slander you) and hopefully you can forgive me.”
Legal action
Mahmud Jumaat, the lawyer that will be handling the case, posted on Instagram:
“After reviewing the entire recording, it was clear that the video had been edited irresponsibly and netizens continued to judge without checking the full facts.”
Aaron has stressed that legal action was taken to protect his good name and ensure that the spreaders of defamation do not continue to manipulate information for their own good, according to Mstar.
He also called on the public to be careful about spreading any content without checking it.
Top images via aaronmustaphaaziz/Facebook, diyanahalik/Instagram
