[Location - Date:][Source:][VO:]"This morning muslim advocated filed a law suit in federal court."AFTER NUMEROUS REPORTS OF THE NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT SPYING ON THEIR PLACES OF WORSHIP, THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS AND SCHOOLS...EIGHT MUSLIMS FILED A LAW SUIT WEDNESDAY TO PUT AN END TO THE NYPD'S PRACTICES "This law suit is about Commissioner Ray Kelly and his leadership team that have put in place a set of policies and practices that discriminate against a group of Americans simply because of their religious identity."IT'S THE FIRST LAW SUIT TO CHALLENGE THE NYPD'S METHODS OF COLLECTING DATA ON MUSLIMS JUST BECAUSE OF THEIR RELIGIOUS IDENTITY.....A SERIES OF REPORTS UNEARTHED BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SHOWED THE NYPD CONDUCTED BLANKET SURVEILLANCE ON MUSLIM NEIGHBORHOODS AND MOSQUES...NOTING WHERE THEY ATE, GOT THEIR HAIR CUT....EVEN DOCUMENTING LICENSE PLATES....SYED FARHAJ HASSAN STOPPED ATTENDING HIS REGULAR MOSQUE AFTER DISCOVERING IT WAS UNDER SURVEILLANCE(SOUNDBITE: Syed Farhaj Hassan) "Once the Associated Press broke the story I decided to shun that mosque and not go there again. Then I found out that the mosque I attend every Friday was also on the report." SYED FARHAJ HASSAN IS AN ARMY RESERVIST....HE WORRIED HAVING HIS NAME ON AN NYPD REPORT COULD HURT HIS MILITARY SECURITY CLEARANCE...SO HE DECIDED TO FIGHT BACK(SOUNDBITE: Syed Farhaj Hassan) "I had had enough, I said that I'm not going to live in fear. Fear of associated. Guilt by association."THE NYPD'S DEFENSE HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE PROTECTION OF NEW YORKERS FROM ANOTHER TERRORIST ATTACK...COMMISSIONER RAY KELLY DID NOT RESPOND TO THE LAW SUIT(SOUNDBITE: Commissioner Ray Kelly)"I would just refer them to the New Jersey Attorney General's report that found no wrong doing."AFTER FINDING OUT THE NYPD'S SURVEILLANCE OPERATIONS EXTENDED IN NEW JERSEY....OFFICIALS WERE OUTRAGED....BUT AFTER A THREE MONTH REVIEW NEW JERSEY'S ATTORNEY GENERAL SAID IN A STATEMENT THEY FOUND QUOTE:"No evidence to date that NYPD's activities in the state violated New Jersey civil or criminal laws."AS OF YET, NO COURT HAS FOUND WRONGDOING IN THE NYPD'S PRACTICES....AND ALTHOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE REQUESTS FOR THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TO INVESTIGATE....THERE'S NO INDICATION THE NYPD'S INTELLIGENCE GATHERING EFFORTS WILL CHANGE...IN NEW YORK BONNY GHOSH ASSOCIATED PRESS.(****END****) ANCHOR VOICE: BONNY GHOSH-------------------------VIDEO PRODUCER: BONNY GHOSH/NED BARKER---------------------------VIDEO SOURCE: AP, WABC (RAY KELLY SOUND)-----------------------VIDEO APPROVAL: BOB MCCALL ----------------------------VIDEO RESTRICTIONS: COURTESY WABC-TV (RAY KELLY SOUNDBITE)----------------------------------MARKET EMBARGO (S): NONE --------------------------------SCRIPT/WIRE SOURCE:j0340BC-US--NYPD Intelligence, 2nd Ld-Writethru