At a Glance
- Samir Hashmi files a new open-records lawsuit against NYC over alleged NYPD spying.
- He seeks documents on the mosque-raking program from 2006-2008.
- The case tests mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani‘s stance on policing Muslim communities.
- Why it matters: It could force NYC to disclose decades of surveillance and shape the new mayor’s policing agenda.
Samir Hashmi, a former member of the Rutgers Muslim Student Association, has taken a fresh legal approach to uncover alleged NYPD spying on Muslim communities. His new lawsuit follows a previous, unsuccessful open-records case and targets documents from the department’s controversial mosque-raking program.
New lawsuit builds on past claims
Hashmi’s current FOIL requests focus on a narrower set of records: weekly intelligence summaries, profiles of specific organizations, and reports on particular mosques tied to his activities between 2006 and 2008. The requests were filed in February after the NYPD denied access and an appeal was rejected.
- 2006-2008: Period of requested records.
- 2011: News Of Austin investigation revealed NYPD infiltration of Muslim student groups.
- 2018: Civil-rights settlement disbanded the NYPD demographics unit; Hashmi lost his earlier case.
- 2023: Hashmi restarted research amid NYPD’s crackdown on protests and related lawsuits.
- 2025: Imam Talib Abdur-Rashid, Hashmi’s co-plaintiff, died in November; Hashmi cites this loss as motivation.
The backdrop of NYPD surveillance
The NYPD’s mosque-raking program mapped New York City’s Muslim and Arab enclaves and used undercover officers and informants to infiltrate mosques, cafés, soccer leagues, and student associations. Despite significant resources, the unit produced no credible terrorism leads, according to the department itself.
**Samir Hashmi stated:
> “I knew that was an immediate no for me.”
Samir Hashmi added:
> “They can call me Islamophobic if they want-the word has no meaning whatsoever. This isn’t 2008.”
Unnamed FBI official wrote:
> “I keep telling you, you and I are going to laugh and raise a beer one day, when everything Intel has been involved in during the last 10 years comes out-it always eventually comes out. They are going to make [former FBI director J. Edgar] Hoover, COINTEL, Red Squads, etc look like rank amateurs compared to some of the damn right felonious activity, and violations of US citizen’s rights they have been engaged in.”
- Infiltration tactics: undercover cops, informants, and surveillance.
- Targeted groups: mosques, cafés, soccer leagues, student associations.
- Outcome: No terrorism leads generated.
Political tensions rise
Mamdani’s decision to appoint Jessica Tisch-a former NYPD Intelligence Division officer-as police commissioner has intensified Hashmi’s concerns. The mayor-elect has publicly opposed NYPD spying on Muslim New Yorkers, a stance that clashes with the department’s historical practices.
- A police commissioner’s brother labeling Mamdani an “enemy” of Jewish people.
- Queens councilwoman Vickie Paladino posting anti-Muslim screeds, later deleted but followed by an op-ed in the News Of Austin calling for “massive sweeps” of Muslim neighborhoods.
| Event | Year | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Mosque-raking program active | 2006-2008 | NYPD Intelligence Division |
| News Of Austin investigation published | 2011 | Leaked documents |
| Settlement of civil-rights suit | 2018 | Demographics unit disbanded |
| Hashmi files new FOIL requests | 2023 | After NYPD crackdown |
| Imam Talib Abdur-Rashid passes | 2025 | November |
| Mamdani sworn in | Jan 1, 2025 | New mayor of NYC |
Key Takeaways
- Samir Hashmi is suing NYC to expose NYPD’s decades-old surveillance of Muslim communities.
- The lawsuit focuses on documents from 2006-2008 and follows a history of denied requests and a 2018 settlement.
- Political fallout includes heightened scrutiny of mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and his police commissioner, Jessica Tisch.
The new lawsuit could force the city to reveal a shadowy chapter of policing and set a precedent for how the incoming administration addresses historic surveillance practices.
