Religious scholar Dr. Mohamed Iyaz has today alleged that a Cabinet Minister told him to divorce his wife Aishath Shadhiya who was arrested for staging anti-Israel protests.

The issue surfaced when Shadhiya and Dr. Shazra Ibrahim, who was also arrested for anti-Israel protests, told Adhadhu that "Minister level" officials were contacting their husbands to push for divorce.

When questioned about the matter, Dr. Iyaz said it was not some "people" who told him to divorce his wife but it was the government.

"A government minister had sent me a message. A Cabinet Minister of the current government had messaged me, telling me to divorce Shadhiya. He will know why he messaged me. I did not get married because he told me to," Dr. Iyaz said.

However, he did not name the minister.

Dr. Shazra Ibrahim, 36 and Aishath Shadiya, 47 were arrested on August 28 with a court order for repeatedly protesting near diplomatic missions in violation of the Freedom of Peaceful Assembly Act, acting in a manner that disturbs an ambassador and obstructing police duty.

They were released from police custody after nine days on the condition that they do not stage protests outside embassies in Male'.

Meanwhile, the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and Adhaalath Party (AP) have condemned the police and called for their release.

The two women were staging daily protests outside the UK embassy, German embassy, UN office and the residences of the British and Saudi ambassadors against the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza.

Police did not name the ambassador they had allegedly harassed or the diplomatic missions that had been disturbed because of their protest.