NEWARK, New Jersey: New Jersey Muslims who have sued New York City over its police-run surveillance of Muslims say the city's request that the lawsuit be dismissed is without merit.    

In a filing Friday, they say the intelligence-gathering program targeted Muslims based solely on their religion and without any suspicion of wrongdoing.

They argue the federal lawsuit should go forward, saying the NYPD program subjected them to unfair discrimination and reduced participation by mosque congregants.

The plaintiffs include Muslim individuals and organisations.

The suit was the first to directly challenge the NYPD's surveillance programs that targeted Muslim neighbourhoods, chronicling the daily life of where people ate, prayed and got their hair cut.

The city's lawyers argue the program was legal and note New Jersey's attorney general found that no state laws were violated.