As Samir Hashmi sat in his New Jersey home, scrolling through old emails and documents from his college days, a painful memory resurfaced. He was a member of the Rutgers Muslim Student Association in the late 2000s, and his group was one of dozens of organizations infiltrated by the New York City Police Department's Intelligence Division. The NYPD's mosque-raking program, launched during the Michael Bloomberg era, aimed to gather intelligence on Muslim communities, sparking widespread outrage and civil rights concerns. Now, Hashmi is taking a stand, filing a new open-records lawsuit against the city, seeking answers about the extent of the NYPD's surveillance.

Hashmi's decision to sue the NYPD is not just about personal vindication; it's a test for the city's new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who campaigned on a promise to reform the police department's treatment of Muslim New Yorkers. Mamdani's election victory was largely fueled by the support of Muslim communities, who turned out in record numbers to vote for change. As the city's new leader, Mamdani will face the challenge of addressing the legacy of the NYPD's surveillance program, which has left a lasting impact on the lives of individuals like Hashmi.

The NYPD's Intelligence Division, led by former Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, launched the mosque-raking program in the early 2000s. The initiative aimed to gather intelligence on Muslim communities, monitoring their activities, and infiltrating their organizations. The program was shrouded in secrecy, with the NYPD using informants and undercover agents to gather information. The Associated Press investigation in 2011, which relied on leaked documents, revealed the extent of the NYPD's surveillance, sparking widespread outrage and calls for reform.

Hashmi's Rutgers MSA was one of the organizations targeted by the NYPD. He was not a signatory to the 2018 civil rights settlement, which was reached between the NYPD and several Muslim organizations. The settlement led to the disbanding of the NYPD's Demographics Unit, but Hashmi's case remains a test of the city's commitment to transparency and accountability.

"The NYPD's surveillance program was a gross abuse of power," says Arun Kundnani, a scholar and author who has written extensively on the NYPD's counterterrorism policies. "It was a program designed to create a sense of fear and mistrust within Muslim communities, rather than to prevent crime or protect public safety."

Kundnani argues that the NYPD's program was part of a broader trend of surveillance and profiling of Muslim communities in the United States. "The NYPD's program was not an isolated incident; it was part of a larger pattern of surveillance and profiling that has been used to justify the targeting of Muslim communities," he says.

Hashmi's lawsuit is a critical test of the city's commitment to transparency and accountability. As the NYPD continues to evolve under new leadership, the case raises important questions about the balance between national security and civil liberties. "The NYPD's surveillance program was a clear example of how the pursuit of national security can be used to justify the erosion of civil liberties," says Kundnani.

As the city moves forward under new leadership, Hashmi's case serves as a reminder of the need for transparency and accountability in law enforcement. "The NYPD's surveillance program was a stain on the city's reputation, and it's time for the city to take responsibility for its actions," says Hashmi. "I'm not just fighting for myself; I'm fighting for the rights of all New Yorkers to be free from surveillance and profiling."

The outcome of Hashmi's lawsuit will have significant implications for the city's Muslim communities and the broader debate around national security and civil liberties. As the city looks to the future, the case serves as a reminder of the importance of transparency, accountability, and the protection of civil liberties.