I am somewhat perplexed as to why ASIO’s chief Duncan Lewis decided that he must involve himself in political matters by calling up Liberal MPs telling them they must moderate their language over Islam. His argument is that it puts our national safety at risk. This improper involvement of senior bureaucrats raises the question how effective is ASIO at keeping Australia safe and also does flag concerns as to the real reason why Lewis called up concerned Liberal MPs.

Members of Parliament are elected representatives of the people who vote for them. As a secular nation we must be able to have the ability to question religions and be critical where necessary. For instance, society as a whole has been, and should be, critical of some aspects of christianity especially some denominations which have hidden concerns of paedophilia. Likewise, society should question Islam and the role it plays in society when it comes to homosexuality, women’s rights and the extreme element of terrorism.
Politicians such as Tony Abbott, Craig Kelly, Andrew Nikolic and other Liberal MPs have every right to question Islam and to encourage Muslims to consider opening up their religion for reform, after all these MPs are elected representatives and must represent the views of the electorate.

It is interesting to note that Lewis has just admitted that using strong language to critise Islam will put our national security at risk. Does this mean a terror attack? Either way, ASIO is equipped legislatively and has the funding to intercept potential attacks. To suggest that strong language increases a risk of an attack is foolish and discredits the hard work ASIO does to keep us safe.

This notion then raises the question, why did Lewis put ASIO’s own credibility at risk by calling up Liberal MPs? The answer is we will never know, however it would not be surprising if either the Prime Minister or someone within his office put Lewis up to it. As we all know Malcolm Turnbull is a progressive politician and as the Liberals hold seats such as Reid for the first time, upsetting the Muslim community would detrimental for the Liberals.