The opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) councillor said the Speaker had the ability to prevent Navi Pillay from making the statements against the fundamentals of Islam without any respect to the constitution and laws. Ilham stressed that Shahid has not apologised to the people for the comments made by Pillay against flogging women convicted of extra-marital sex but welcomed her after her address to the parliament. Speaker Shahid said on Monday that he was not aware of Pillay's remarks about flogging and that the translation of her speech, which was made by the UN office in Maldives, was distributed to the MPs after her speech. "In no way was the parliament or the speaker involved in that," he said. During her four-day visit to the Maldives, Pillay told parliamentarians on Thursday that flogging women convicted of extra-marital sex is one of the most inhumane and degrading forms of violence against women. "I strongly believe that a public debate is needed in Maldives on this issue of major concern," she said. Pillay later told reporters that she held discussions with President Mohamed Nasheed, ministers and the judiciary on how to end the practice of flogging in the Maldives. "At the very least, pending more permanent changes in the law, it should be possible for the government and the judiciary to engineer a practical moratorium on flogging," she proposed. She also called on Maldivian authorities to remove the "discriminatory" constitutional provision that requires every citizen to be a Muslim. "I would again urge a debate on that to open up the benefits of the constitution to all and to remove that discriminatory provision," she said. Foreign Minister Ahmed Naseem backed Islamic Minister Dr Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari's views against Pillay's statements and said the government would not allow debates to be held in the country on issues that are against the fundamentals of Islam. "What's there to discuss about flogging? There is nothing to debate about in a matter clearly stated in the religion of Islam. No one can argue with God," he told Haveeru . Political parties including the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) and Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), parliament, and religious groups have condemned the UN human rights chief's comments. Protestors also surrounded the UN Building in capital Male condemning Pillay's remarks and demanding an apology from the UN and parliamentarians.