Now he advocates for men in similar situations in the
He talked to his children. “I always said we will stay on the high road, we will tell the truth, but when the police would separate the kids with their mother and put me on one side, the kids would be afraid to speak. Through a lot of prayer and a lot of faith and the proper outcome long term, we were able to stick it out for a long time until I was able to actually gain custody of my children.” Dr. Sulaiman gave up his medical career “to be a dad to my sons. I have fifteen publications in major medical journals; I left all that behind, and I'm a manager at a used car dealership because that is more conducive to being a dad.” He shares sadly, “I have twin boys that are 18. They were robbed of their childhood. I was robbed of my career, my relationship with family and friends.” Earlier this year, he also got back his now four-year-old son, who is starting to thrive. “There have been a lot of big things that we've accomplished in the last six to eight months.” He equates his strategy to the boxer Muhammad Ali’s Rope-a-dope. “I just kept taking it and kept taking it and never walked out on my kids. I kept taking it because I knew the truth would eventually become evident.” Dr. Sulaiman sees a bright side, saying his experience taught him humility. “I can understand other people's points of view now much better and don't always take things at face value. Because of this, my relationship with my sons is very strong.”
community as well as the mosque that he attends. “Unfortunately, these problems are rampant throughout many communities, so I am sometimes looked upon to coach someone going through a similar situation or speak to a group of men.” He adds, “Giving up is not an option, and that's what I would like to pass on. . . My motto used to be ‘Failure is not an option,’ but as long as we don't quit, we will fail, and we will lose battles, but the war and the ultimate goal have to stay in sight so that one can still be propelled forward to go through another rough patch. These children need their best shot in life, so dads have to step up. Every man should have another man they trust and love, such as a father, an elder brother, or clergy, somebody they can bounce ideas off of and make sure that what they're planning and thinking is appropriate. Iron sharpens iron, and that is a very strong motto. I was very fortunate to have good role models for myself to follow.” His wish is that “in the future, officers are better trained, and different barriers are put in place where a man's voice is also heard.”
“Giving Up is Not an Option…”
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