A British filmmaker who attended Saudi-British Youth Forum that concluded on Thursday, said Saudi women are open to dialogue and they have an innate aptitude to exchange experiences with people from different cultural environments.
“What I see here in the Kingdom is not what I have heard about Saudi Arabia,” said Denise Rose, director of the non-profit organization Mouth That Roars, which offers young people the chance to receive training in film production.
She added that the Western media invariably gives a different picture of the Middle East and the people in the West tend to form an impression according to the information given in print and electronic media that doesn’t necessarily reflect the reality on the ground.
“The forum gave me ample opportunities to meet a section of local young men and women who represent various strata of the society,” Rose said, pointing out that their hospitality has no bounds. “It was excellent and I believe Arabian hospitality is something unique and going to be memorable in my life,” said Rose.
She indicated that it was encouraging to see young Saudi women engaged in a variety of constructive activities.
“Some of them are budding entrepreneurs in IT field,” she noted, adding that they will have a good future in the long run since they really know what they are doing in the Kingdom.
To make documentaries, Rose had earlier visited Iraq, Iran, Egypt and Occupied Palestine. Rose is interested to come to the Kingdom to film a documentary on Saudi society.
“I want to portray the actual life of a Saudi society,” she said, indicating that the West would be amazed to know the other side of the Kingdom that is rarely shown or heard in that part of the world.
Rose described the situation in Gaza as a catastrophe. “Women and children are suffering without potable water, power and shelter for no fault of theirs,” she said, describing the aggressors as paranoid.
The trauma of the little ones as a result of the aggression can cause severe damage to their mental health, she noted, blaming the international community for just watching the Israeli onslaught without doing anything to stop it.
She insisted that it couldn’t be called a war since the Israeli operation is unbalanced. “When you push someone to a dead end, the situation can eventually explode,” she said.
She said that the Palestinians have a right to live in their native lands.
She described Israeli action as stupid and inhumane. “Unless the world community makes concerted efforts to stop this aggression, we may not be able to see people in Gaza at all,” she concluded.
