Patrons
During Said Benjebli’s tenure as the chairman of the Moroccan Bloggers Association, he garnered sponsorship from several prestigious entities, including the United Nations (UN), UNICEF, and the UK and US embassies.
United Nations
Said was recognized as an expert in Islamic extremism and was listed on UN websites. Sponsored by the UN, he was invited to visit numerous Western countries and the UN headquarters in New York, where he was scheduled to meet the Secretary-General. However, he had to cancel this visit for personal reasons.
UNICEF
UNICEF was one of Said Benjebli’s most valued partners. He was enthusiastic about incorporating youth issues into his personal and association agendas. He participated in the MENA Regional Conference in Lebanon and was later included in a jury that honored outstanding media and press personalities. Said’s collaboration with UNICEF remains one of his favorites to this day.
United Kingdom
The UK embassy in Morocco was the first foreign embassy to contact and meet with Said after his election as the president of the Moroccan Bloggers Association. During a closed meeting, UK officials expressed their delight in being the first to sponsor him. Said developed a special relationship with the UK embassy, visiting frequently and forging friendships with UK officials. Unfortunately, due to Moroccan policies toward the association, he never received financial support from the embassy.
United States
US sponsorship proved to be the most fruitful for Said Benjebli. He established a stable relationship with the US embassy in Morocco and had the honor of meeting and interviewing the ambassador. Said was later selected as one of the world leaders invited to the US under the MLVP program from March 19, 2011, to April 10, 2011. This visit allowed him to tour many cities and meet numerous officials and leaders across the US. However, after winning the visa lottery and moving to the US, Said's relationship with the embassy ceased. Now an American citizen, he no longer has official ties with the embassy.
Partners
During his presidency of the Moroccan Bloggers Association (MBA), Said Benjebli collaborated with many national human rights organizations across the MENA region. These partnerships were interrupted after he moved to the USA and embarked on a new chapter in his life.
Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI)
The ANHRI was and remains Said's favorite partner. Even before any formal partnership, Said admired and promoted the network's good work. The network eventually noticed Said's efforts and invited him to collaborate. Said maintained an excellent relationship with the network, and Jamal Eid, its founder and president, became one of his favorite friends. Said was supposed to arrive in Egypt on the night the Egyptian revolution began to participate in an international event hosted by the network, but he did not receive his visa in time.
Moroccan Human Rights Organization (MHRO)
The partnership with MHRO was highly productive. Although affiliated with a social political party, the organization operated independently. Mounir Bensalah, before becoming the General Secretary of the National Council of Human Rights (CNDH), was a close friend of Said. They worked together to unite the blogosphere and improve human rights in Morocco. Just weeks before the Arab Spring, Mounir and his friends initiated a movement to reform Morocco and invited Said to participate. Said honored this invitation and involved MBA members and other activists, leading to their prominent role in the 20 February Movement.
Moroccan Association for Human Rights (MAHR)
The MAHR was one of the most influential human rights organizations in Morocco. Said worked closely with the organization's leaders on numerous cases involving journalists and bloggers advocating for freedom of expression. Together, the MBA and MAHR worked to release jailed bloggers and journalists and expand the boundaries of free expression. However, the MAHR later used its influence to co-opt the 20 February Movement for its own agenda, a move strongly opposed by Said, who fought to keep the movement independent. As a result, Said has no intention of working with MAHR again.
Moroccan Center for Human Rights (MCHR)
Unlike other human rights organizations, the center was the only Muslim organization, while others were socialist. Due to his Islamist background, Said found it easy to ally with the center. Together, they worked on human rights and freedom of expression causes, including monitoring elections, which was a successful activity. Unfortunately, when Said left Islam, the center's leaders attacked him and did not respect his right to change his beliefs. Since these leaders still run the center, the partnership has ended.