Editor's note: Keith Lamb is a graduate from the University of Glasgow, Staffordshire University and the University of Oxford. His primary research interests are the international relations of China, neoliberalism and China's "socialism with Chinese characteristics". The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

The horrific shooting in Vienna on Monday, which has left at least three people dead and 15 people seriously injured, is just the latest in a spate of Islamic terrorist attacks to hit a European city following the attacks, in Paris and Nice, sparked by a teacher's defense of the liberal value of free speech.

This defense of free speech was made at the expense of the Prophet Muhammad which offended many Muslims whose faith forbids depictions of the Prophet.

Terrorist attacks against civilians is a horrific act and as such Europeans have every right to feel dismayed about what they see is an attack on the very essence of their liberal civilization.

From a glance the tenants of Islam are highly incompatible with Western values. It is not just free speech, there are many other customs that collide.

For example, alcohol which holds a central place in the West is banned in Islam and polygamy, prohibited in Western societies, is permitted in the Koran.

However, the basis of liberal civilization and Islamic civilization has one thing in common which is both believe they are "right". By this I mean both modes of thought discard changing historical truths, and attempt to install a universal right, that transcends both time and space. Liberalism attempts to build a religion of man through the use of logic and reason while Islam commands the supernatural laws of God onto man.

Both systems transcend time because they believe their laws govern in the past, present and the future. The fact that in the past their tenants did not consciously exist (at least not in the present form) leads to the reasoning that human beings are discovering objective laws beyond themselves and, as such, discovering them becomes characterized as being enlightened to the true nature of reality. 

If a system such as liberalism or Islam posits itself as being universal it must by its very nature deny the truths of others as there can be only "one God". This then leads to the clash of two monotheistic civilizations that we see today.

Another characteristic of a universal system of thought such as Liberalism, Islam or indeed Christianity is that it will seek to enlighten others with its universal truth which, if backed by hard power, can be used to justify the expansion of their civilizations.

If we look at European colonialism the civilizing mission of Christianity was always used as an "a priori" way to justify infringement onto others. Islam too spread itself through conquest far beyond its origins in the Arabian Peninsula.

With the secularization of the West, the universal baton of Christianity has been passed to liberalism. Most Westerners indoctrinated with this new "religion" are unaware of the terror and suffering that has been thrust onto the non-Western world in defense of this "right". 

Economic terror through structural readjustment which seeks to unnaturally enforce liberal-democracies, onto others, has led to hardship in the South and few non-Western states have flourished under this system.

Western interventions, which have caused atrocious destruction and loss of life have been explained away with narratives that the West is bringing "liberal salvation" to the "barbarians".

With this "salvation complex", no wonder the invasion of Iraq was ominously designated "Operation Iraqi Freedom" and the bombing of Libya was given the equally Orwellian title "Operation Unified Protector".

Universal thinking as shown by Western invasions onto non-Western lands and Islamic terrorism has led to much misery. If a mode of thought seeks to impose its right over all, discarding the real conditions that exist for specific groups, then it is hegemonic and undemocratic in its nature.

With this mode of thought all atrocities and hardships can be justified simply by invoking its universal "right" over the non-believers.

The solution on the global level is the promotion of multi-polarity. This according to Dr. Jenny Clegg the author of "China's Global Strategy Towards a Multi-polar World" is also China's dream for the world.

For China this multi-polarity acts as a means to resist hegemonism which is backed by the aforementioned universal thinking. She writes:

"China's peaceful development is not a strategy for pacifism but a preference for the resolution of disputes in a diverse world by peaceful means. It is the United States that has become the 'revolutionary' force of change in the international order, and China is now the defender of the UN 'status quo' and the legacy of resistance against aggression."

Multi-polarity means the rise of several civilizational poles which are unable to dominate one another and who respect each other's respective limits.

For example, a developed and more united Arab world would mean an end to Western imposition of its "liberal right" onto them. This would mean an end to the occupation of Arab lands by Western forces which is, after all, a huge factor that drives the enmity of believers of the Islamic faith toward the West.

It is also Western occupation and wars that has created the populating of Europe by Muslim refugees who come from the very countries European civilization has subdued.

Multi-polarity is about respect for all civilizations not just those of the Arab world and China but the West too. Multi-polarity equates to a strong Europe, Africa and Latin America who could then act independently outside of the uni-polar orbit of the U.S. which is the current leader within liberal civilization. However, to achieve a multi-polar world order requires global development, which has been conspicuously absent under liberal hegemonism. 

Development is needed because, as is manifestly obvious, hard power backed by universal thinking has been only too willing to enforce its right, through the barrel of a gun, onto those who were technologically weak and economically backward.

A developed democratic multi-polar world, where civilizations must treat each other with equality and respect, will be a defining moment in our planet's history and one we should all work toward. It will be a world where we recognize that "right" depends on who and where you are and, as such, will require greater tolerance and dialogue among civilizations. 

In terms of the tragedy that we see in Vienna and France today this potential multipolar world order will be a huge step in transcending the terror that arises from both Islamic and liberal civilizations.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com.)