One of the accusations against Islam is that Muslims use jihad of war to convert non-Muslims to Islam by force.
A conversion to Islam is valid only if the person sincerely accepts Islam freely, without duress. This is the principle in the Quran: "Let there be no compulsion in religion". This principle is reflected in history, where Muslims conquered and ruled Spain, other parts of Europe, and India for centuries. In Spain, the Jews and Christians were not forced to convert to Islam. After the Muslims left, the Jews were forcibly converted to Christianity, or persecuted and killed if they refused. In India, the Hindus were not forcibly converted to Islam, and the majority remained Hindu.
Christians assume that even as Christians over the centuries conquered and forcibly converted European nations, so also do Muslims. Forcible conversion by Christians started with the Roman Emperor Constantine when he made Christianity the official state religion and forced all Roman citizens, pagans and polytheists, to become Christian. In the Middle Ages, as Christianity spread by the sword, entire nations were forcibly converted after their conquest. Jews were also a target for forcible conversion, as with the Spanish Inquisition, and attacks and massacres throughout the history of Christian Europe.
Indonesia and India (including Pakistan and Bangladesh) are examples of how millions of people became Muslims by the preaching and example of good Muslims. No Muslim army ever invaded Indonesia, yet it is the largest Muslim country with over 200 million Muslims.
If forcible conversion is not permitted in Islam, it can not be a reason for jihad or war. The accusation that Muslims initiate war to forcibly convert people is therefore irrational and false.
This does not preclude war for other reasons, for example, in self-defence, or against an enemy who threatens war and who will not sign a peace treaty. War for other political reasons, strategic or territorial, is no different from the political reasons used by other states, including the United States, even up to recent times.