A Ghost of 9/11 Spying Returns to Haunt New York's First Muslim Mayor

A New Jersey man has filed a new open-records lawsuit against New York City, reopening a painful chapter concerning the NYPD's widespread surveillance of Muslim communities in the post-9/11 era. According to information exclusively provided to WIRED, the lawsuit poses an immediate and delicate test for mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who built his successful campaign by condemning such spying and galvanizing the very communities once targeted by it.

A Reckoning Deferred

Samir Hashmi, a resident of New Jersey, was part of the Rutgers Muslim Student Association when, according to a 2011 Associated Press investigation, it was infiltrated by the NYPD. The controversial program, which involved a so-called “demographics unit,” was disbanded following a civil rights settlement in 2018. Hashmi, who didn't join that settlement, lost his own open-records case that same year when a court affirmed the NYPD's right to issue a “Glomar” response—neither confirming nor denying the existence of surveillance records.

His new petition, filed this December, is more narrowly focused. It seeks specific intelligence reports and profiles from 2006 through 2008 pertaining to organizations he belonged to. Hashmi told WIRED he was motivated to try again by personal loss and a renewed sense of duty, aiming to uncover what he believes are the NYPD’s post-9/11 abuses.

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The Mamdani Paradox

The lawsuit lands on the desk of an incoming administration that owes its existence, in part, to opposing the very policies in question. Mamdani, set to be sworn in as the city's first Muslim mayor on January 1, now finds himself in a bind. While a firm supporter of the mayor-elect, Hashmi said he was pushed into action by Mamdani's decision to retain Jessica Tisch as police commissioner.

“When I found out that Jessica Tisch’s background was in the NYPD Intelligence Division, that absolutely rang alarm bells in my mind,” Hashmi said. This sentiment reflects a broader anxiety that despite a change in leadership, the institutional machinery of surveillance remains intact. A recent federal court report noted ongoing concerns from Muslim communities about being questioned by unidentified law enforcement agents.

Hashmi says the lawsuit is a way to hold the new mayor to his promises. He noted that Mamdani attended the funeral of his original co-plaintiff, Imam Talib Abdur-Rashid, and vowed to continue his work. “One of Imam Talib’s many legacies is this lawsuit,” Hashmi stated. “So if he’s honest about continuing the work... then he’s not going to let the NYPD fight me on this.” The NYPD and the mayor-elect's office did not respond to requests for comment.