Pakistan is in ruins. Terrorism is destroying the country. People are dying. Religious extremists are filling the streets. Children are being victimized. Doctors in Baluchistan are being targeted and killed. All of these problems are rooted in the ridiculously ineffective government. There is, however, a solution that can dissolve perhaps the most destructive force in the world, terrorism.

The first step to removing terrorism, according to Pakistani politician Imran Khan, is to let go of the idea that it has anything to do with Islam. Islam is a peaceful religion that is unfortunately misunderstood and thought of as the culprit instead of terrorism itself. Islam, like other religions, counsels people to keep their ethics and deeds in check and not harm others. Ironically, militant “Islamists” practice this religion by killing others through bombings, shootings, and even the inhumane act of decapitation.

These so-called “Muslims” are the reason that I and millions of children in Pakistan have to go to schools with metal detectors, eight-foot walls with barbed wire, and security snipers on the roof. If these “Muslims” were truly spreading Islam, then Pakistan’s schools, which are meant to be a child’s safe haven, wouldn’t need security personnel to search for bombs in the backpacks of innocent children as young as four.

The second step in eliminating ­terrorism relies on this same idea of not fallaing for the lies and excuses of terrorists. Terrorism must be understood as an idea that is protected by an army. Terrorism is not an army itself that supplies its men uniforms to fight the Pakistani or American army. Terrorism is simply the lunatic idea of violence and destruction as the way for people to live their lives. If this idea is overridden and replaced by peace and coexistence, then the world will rid itself of this inhumane and animal-like destruction.

How can this new idea of peace come into play? Here’s a hint: The War on Terror isn’t helping. War is terror! We cannot get rid of this disastrous monster using the same tactics the monster uses. When a negative number is “added” to another negative number, the sum becomes more negative, not positive. There is a relatively simple solution here that the U.S. can try after 12 years of war. Instead of begging China for billions more to invest in this war, why not do something resourceful, like building schools in these troubled areas?

Education is the only way out of this mess. Schools teach us the most valuable lessons in life, such as sharing, working hard, and perhaps most important, getting along with your classmates, even if they ate all the marshmallows from the group activity. The Taliban showed that its weakness is education when it targeted an innocent, 14-year-old heroic activist, named Malala Yousafzai. How many activist-kids need to be shot before the blind governments of Pakistan and the U.S. realize where the solution lies?

I write this essay in desperate hope of gaining support and guiding Pakistan to a stable place where the world can admire its recovery. But it’s not just my job. It’s everybody’s job. I need the support of other young people to rescue Pakistan from the grip of terrorism. We’re not just saving Pakistan. We’re not just saving the innocent. We are saving the world.