What pluralism means to Islam

I was perplexed – and perturbed – by the remark attributed to the State Mufti of Perak, Datuk Seri Harussani Zakaria, that pluralism was an attack upon the faith of the Muslims (Star, June 14, 2006). 

What does pluralism mean in the Mufti’s dictionary? Pluralism in the social sciences refers to “the existence of different types of people, who have different types of beliefs and opinions, within the same society”. There are different dimensions to pluralism.