Christian student wins case against Chicago school that allegedly forced her to participate in Hindu rituals

A now former high school student who described herself as a "strong Christian" reached a settlement with Chicago Public Schools after alleging that she and others were forced to take part in Hindu rituals.

Mariyah Green was awarded $150,000 on October 23, however the school district maintained that they did not in any way violate her "sincerely held religious beliefs."

According to Fox News, Green's suit alleged that the district developed a program known as "Quiet Time," in which students were taught the practice of "transcendental meditation."

Those who took part were allegedly made to repeat "mantras." The district claimed they were "meaningless words," but Green found out they included" the names of Hindu gods," and argued they were "fundamentlaly religious in nature." 

Additionally, students were allegedly shown a picture of Guru Dev Swami Brahmananda Saraswati and asked to take part in an "initiation ceremony," known as a "Puja" where "specific items are presented to the picture of Guru Dev while the 'Transcendental Meditation' instructor chants aloud in Sanskrit for about three to five minutes and performs certain rehearsed ritual movements."

"Some kids [can] ... be put in a situation where we can be manipulated," Green told Fox News, "because who knows what the chant could have meant and what I was putting in my mind, and [then] channel into myself or you know my life. So you just got to be careful because … like the devil will come in different ways."

During the Pujas, participants were asked to "[place] various items before the image of Guru Dev or to kneel before that image." According to Green, the latter violated her beliefs, which require her to kneel before only Jesus Christ. A guru is not a god, however. Rather, they are "a personal religious teacher and spiritual guide in Hinduism," and "a teacher and especially intellectual guide in matters of fundamental concern."

In a statement, the district noted that it "has always denied, and continues to deny, any liability as a result of the Quiet Time program, and there has not been any finding of liability in this case by a judge or a jury."