Should A Good Liberal Tolerate Anti-liberal Behaviour On The Part Of Others?

The question of whether a 'true' liberal should tolerate people and groups that promote anti-liberal and illiberal behaviour has led to much debate among political scientists, sociologists and other academics. Perhaps the most notable of these scholars is Will Kymlicka, a professor at Queen's University who even wrote a book on the issue.

Liberals find themselves in a catch twenty-two when confronted with this question, primarily because the natural liberal instinct would be to allow everyone and every group unhindered human freedom to pursue their own course and way of life. Yet in some cases these groups and individuals may opt for an illiberal or anti-liberal course. This is the case with some immigrant groups in both North America and Europe--namely those where women's rights, marriage rituals and practices, as well as socio-political views are seen as traditionalist. In some cases these may go against the law of the land.

Ultimately, the best policy is for liberals to allow anti-liberal, illiberal or traditional groups to maintain their own beliefs and ways of life, so long as they do not endanger liberal democracy more generally within mainstream society. In many cases, cracking down on illiberal groups and practices may actually be counter-productive, as they can lead to further backlash.