Frustrated Psychologist Pens Anti Bullying Book After Zara Case

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EXCLUSIVE | She’s spent years testifying in court, but when the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir in a Sabah school hostel hit the news, clinical child psychologist Dr Noor Aishah Rosli didn’t just get angry - over the next seven days, she wrote a book on how to address bullying.
Channelling her frustration into swift action, she completed “Antibuli 360°: Panduan Psikologi dan 11 Strategi Praktikal untuk Ibu Bapa, Guru dan Rakan Sebaya” - a psychological guide for schools, born out of frustration and urgency.
“I was watching the news (about Zara) and suddenly I felt truly frustrated.
“I stood up, went straight to my computer and for seven days, non-stop, I wrote,” said the court expert, more accustomed to preparing psychological assessments for judges than writing books for the public.
Zara Qairina Mahathir, 13, died on July 17 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota KinabaluAlthough she acknowledged that ending bullying nationwide will take time, Aishah believes the toxic culture can be turned around - hence the title “Antibuli 360°”.
“The book is like a training guide for teachers, parents, and peers,” she said.
The book aims to provide practical, psychologically grounded strategies to eradicate school bullying through empathy, awareness, and early emotional education.
“Even if it’s not possible for every school or the whole of Malaysia, at least let there be one school completely free from bullying, where when we meet the students, they sincerely say they love one another,” she hoped.
Having four children aged between 12 and 22, Aishah spoke with frustration over recurring school bullying cases and a strong resolve to fix systemic flaws.
Yet, beneath the urgency, she demonstrated deep empathy for children and a hope for lasting change.
Aishah served as an expert witness in the high-profile case of the late Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin.
Shaping the Anti-Bullying Bill
Her initiative comes amid a wider national push to strengthen anti-bullying measures.
On Friday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the Anti-Bullying Bill 2025 must be tabled during the current parliamentary session, which ends on Dec 4, calling bullying a “silent crime that must be stopped at its roots through empathy and firm enforcement”.
In September, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek announced that students’ views - including those from primary and secondary schools - would be gathered through town hall sessions before the bill is drafted, ensuring their voices shape the policy.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek“I understand drafting laws require the insight of lawyers, but as a psychologist, I should contribute to the Anti-Bullying Bill as well,” Aishah said.
“I am waiting for someone to approach me, but so far there has been no one,” said the registered counsellor licensed under the Women, Family, and Community Development Ministry’s Board of Counsellors.
“Right now, bullying is everywhere, and people keep saying it’s too difficult to solve.
“I hear that, and I agree, but we need to sit down and reorganise things, otherwise we’ll all end up stressed.
“I’m stressed too. As a psychologist, it upsets me to see this happening because I know how to handle it,” she said with urgency.
In July, Zara, a 13-year-old student whose body was found on the ground floor of her boarding school hostel amid suspicions of bullying, became the centre of national uproar when authorities dismissed bullying claims and closed the case.
Now, an ongoing inquest in Sabah is hearing witness testimonies alleging prior harassment and threats.
Early this month, a 10-year-old, Standard Four pupil in Senawang was found unconscious in a school toilet and later died.
An autopsy revealed neck compression injuries, and the police have recorded statements from over 35 individuals in the ongoing investigation.
Emotional education from Standard One
One crucial step in addressing school bullying, Aishah said, is to first understand the children themselves.
Malaysian schools don’t have practising child psychologists, which means pupils go unscreened - and conditions like low IQ, ADHD, and autism are too often misread as misbehaviour, leading to stigma and, in some cases, bullying.
“These children often end up as victims of circumstance,” said the former Universiti Malaya lecturer in undergraduate counselling.
“Sometimes parents or teachers think they’re bullying others, but actually they have their own issues.
“That’s why early screening is so important, but we can’t do that because we have no practising school psychologists,” she explained.
Jealousy is normal
Having spent 17 years working with children and adolescents, Aishah, who founded her psychology practice, CPC International, in Bangi, said the key to tackling bullying lies in understanding emotions early.
“Start teaching pupils about positive and negative emotions, from year one,” she said.
She argued that values and empathy must be taught early, before peer influence hardens behaviour.
The first year of primary school, she said, is a crucial stage for shaping empathy and character.
“At seven years old, children don’t yet know their personality, so we must start teaching what’s right,” she said.
She explained that children must learn that emotions like anger or jealousy are normal, but need self-control and boundaries to prevent harm.
“There’s a kind of jealousy that drives us to improve ourselves, but there’s also jealousy that leads to slander and hurting others,” she added.
Antibuli 360°, a self-published 195-page book with 1,000 copies printed, will go on sale next week on Shopee and TikTok (via CPC International) and through the clinic’s website.
Policy for compassion
Aishah said her book represents more than policy - it’s a grassroots appeal for compassion.
She envisions schools where compassion is a daily practice, not an exception.
Mutual respect and friendship, she insists, can transform school culture entirely.
“It’s not impossible,” she insisted. “If everyone in the classroom truly cares for and looks out for one another, a school can be free from bullying.”
Aishah also believes that emotional connection among students is one of the most powerful antidotes to bullying.
When classrooms cultivate kindness and mutual care, the instinct to harm diminishes.
Prescription for peer defenders
Among her more innovative ideas is appointing student “defenders” who are peers trained to observe and step in when bullying occurs, creating a sense of shared responsibility.
“Appoint students in each school to be defenders, each one looking out for another. You protect me, I protect you,” she explained.
She also called for integrity and transparency in how schools handle bullying, urging teachers and administrators to take responsibility rather than protect reputations. - Mkini

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