Somebody in here suggested a few days ago that Arabic society can't be held responsible for the 911 terrorists. I've been mullah-ing that over and can't get past what may be an inconsistency of thought on the matter.

It's held in some quarters that western society is responsible for the criminals that arise in it's midst. The criminals themselves, it's asserted, are mere victims and therefore bear little or no individual responsibility. Society itself is to blame and must accept responsibility for these people and their criminal acts.

OK.

So where did Arabic society acquire its "Get Out of Jail Free" card? On what grounds can it be absolved of responsibility for the criminals it breeds?

If one holds that western society is responsible for "our" criminals, is it not then inconsistent to pardon the Arab societies that spawned the 911 mass murderers?

Conversely, if we are not to saddle the Arab world with such responsibility, can we also then state that our society as well is blameless when it comes to those individuals among us who commit crimes?