Islam and the Way to have Coexistence with Folowers of other Religions

It is an obvious fact that there are religions with different beliefs and origins in the world. In their reaction to other religions, the believers of each specific religion raise fundamental questions about the legitimacy of other religions, the destiny of their believers, and the way to interact with them. There are four well known approaches to answering these questions: nullificationism, exclusivism, inclusivism and pluralism. Pluralism is a major topic in contemporary philosophy which has extended to other fields including religion, politics, culture, sociology, ethics, etc. Among all these, religious pluralism which was first introduced by John Hick, the contemporary philosopher, is of prime importance. The normative theory of religious pluralism is an answer to the question of how to coexist with the followers of other religions. According to this theory, believers should treat the followers of other religions with respect and tolerance. In Islam, there is no compulsion for accepting this religion and good coexistence with the followers of other religions and even with non-believers is realistically and extensively accepted and strongly recommended. If non-believers and polytheists have no animosity against Moslems and do not violate their rights, Muslims should not ill-treat them. Even if the non-believers and the polytheists decide to fight against Moslems, the holy Quran orders them not to go to the extremes.