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Universiti Malaysia Pahang's RM8,750 "Anti-Hysteria Kit" Is Making Malaysians Hysterical

The UMP's homegrown solution of anti-hysteria kit has items such as chopsticks, salt, lime, vinegar, pepper spray, and formic acid and can ward off "evil spirits".

Cover image via The Malay Mail/Facebook

On Friday, The Malay Mail published a report about Universiti Malaysia Pahang's Islamic Centre and Human Development Director Dr Mahyuddin Ismail offering to help schools suffering from mass hysteria with his self-produced "anti-hysteria kit" worth a whopping RM8,750, which he claims has successfully solved 100 cases

A screengrab from Universiti Malaysia Pahang’s website showing Dr. Mahyuddin Ismail with his anti-hysteria kit.

Image via The Malay Mail

The anti-hysteria kit comes with everyday items like chopsticks, salt, lime, vinegar, pepper spray, and formic acid and can supposedly ward off "evil spirits" because in Islamic belief, "evil spirits" are reportedly said to not be able to tolerate salty, spicy and sour items

"Our concern is if the patient is being treated by any other practitioner before us. Like seeking medical treatment, only if you don't recover after seeking treatment from a particular doctor that you'd seek other avenues. But if the patient specifically wants our help, then, of course, we'll help," Astro Awani quoted the university's Islamic Centre and Human Development director as saying, adding that this was to avoid a clash in differing methods of treatment which could affect a patient's recovery process.

While the anti-hysteria kit was introduced a year ago and has successfully solved almost 100 hysteria cases so far, it is no longer commercially available "for safety reasons", said Dr Mahyuddin

Image via Malaysiakini

However, the report posted on The Malay Mail's Facebook page has attracted varied reactions from Malaysians, some of whom questioned if UMP is a centre of learning and why is the university involved in such hocus pocus with others commenting that the story about anti-hysteria kit is so hilarious that it gave them a "hysteria"

It would appear that Malaysians are no longer keen on accepting propaganda served in the name of faith, aimed to fool a gullible lot of the populous.

For example, one user who commented, "Sulphuric Hell and Damnation!! What is all this nonsense? Are the Malays going through an era of Superstition? First, there is a mass conversation of our Orang Asli and now this Hysteria Kit? They got to be kidding or are the Malays so, so, so gullible?", attracted support from other users in the post.

"Real bangsat just taking the opportunity to exploit for $$$. Help my foot. Really wondering why only happen to Malays only. So much publicity about their religion!!", commented another user.

"Never read so much utter crap in my life. The inventor of this kit, should try and use it on himself and see if it removes his evil spirit of greed and idiotic behaviour," said another of the over 70 people who commented there.

You can check out the post for several such "hysterical" comments.

Furthermore, Hafidz Baharom, in a scathing letter to Malaysiakini, has questioned the logic behind the so-called "anti-hysteria kit"

He asked if charlatans like Dr Daing Nasir Ibrahim, the vice-chancellor of the university, who had gone to the press to give testimony that this product from his institution's work at the Education Ministry’s office in Putrajaya last April, and Dr. Mahyuddin deserve to be in academia and science, or should be limited to the fringes instead of being allowed to make a mockery of our education system.

Additionally, read our report on what exactly is mass hysteria:

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