Jim: The James Foley Story Page #5

hiring board and when she went out there,

she found Jim sleeping with his head back

on a wall and he's wearing jeans with like

paints or something all over them."

And I called Jim back, I'm like,

"Jim, what the hell happened

at the interview?"

He's like, "It was hot in there, Tom. It was

hot. I just put my head back and I nodded off."

And I'm like, "Did you have

jeans on with paint?" He's like,

"Yeah, they had like these like, symbols

on it, what was I supposed to wear?"

I'm like, "Jim, it's an interview,

it's an interview. You can't do this!"

And so my dad always says that,

"Jim has a million dollar resume

and a ten cent interview."

He came and he started teaching

reading and writing, some literature

and he was really good with these kids

'cause Jim was into hip-hop and rap

and he liked to grab a mic himself.

Jim connected with these guys. He'd

find out about their backgrounds,

talk to them. I think that

really hit him.

Like he was seeing young guys that

came from terrible neighborhoods

that never really had a chance.

And I think he started seeing like, there

are people who need their stories told.

[Jim] The prison that we were

transferred to was filled

with all these political prisoners

from all walks of life.

Some were fishermen,

some were engineers.

It was the warmth of these Libyans that said,

"Here, you're our guest, take this bed.

You don't have a cigarette,

here's a cigarette," you know.

"You want an extra piece

of chicken, here."

These guys understand that I'm a

journalist and I'm trying to get the truth

and perhaps wrongly they think I'm on their

side, but I certainly feel like it now.

[chanting prayers on PA]

You know that if you are kinda without

hope, you're totally humbled,

you tend to go to your faith

if you have faith.

Praying five times a day, it was the life,

it was their only source of life in prison.

I was up nights talking to them.

Eventually, you know, one of them said,

"Why don't you pray with us?"

And I said, "No, I don't pray to east, I

pray to Jesus," when you guys are praying.

He sort of looked at me, like,

"Okay."

Well, I guess I'm experiential person

so I started praying with them.

Well, little did I know I just

proclaimed my conversion to Islam.

[audience laughing]

So from then on out, I prayed

with them five times a day

and it was just... It was so powerful and

it was something that I needed to do.

But it was difficult, I was thinking, you

know, "Jesus, am I praying to Allah?"

"Am I violating

my belief in you?"

I don't have an answer to that.

I just know that I was authentically

praying with them and I was

authentically also praying to Jesus.

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