Unpopular opinion: In my experience, social pressure on Muslim girls felt stricter in India than in some Middle Eastern countries

I know this might be controversial, but this has genuinely been my personal experience and I don’t see many people talking about it.

I lived in the Middle East all my life, and I’m an atheist now, but I come from a Muslim background. I spent a few years living in India, and honestly, I felt much more suffocated there as a girl compared to where I grew up.

Here, I don’t even need to wear hijab or abaya. No one forces me, no one constantly monitors how “religious” I appear, and I don’t feel like my entire character is judged based on how visibly Muslim I look. I can go out late, live normally, and people generally mind their own business.

But when I lived in India, it felt very different. There was constant pressure of “what will people say.” It wasn’t even always direct, it was just in the environment. People around you constantly commenting on how girls should dress, behave, where they should go, how much they should go out.

I’ve honestly seen women covered head to toe much more commonly in Indian Muslim communities than in many Middle Eastern cities (of course not talking about extreme countries like Iran or Afghanistan). And what shocked me the most was seeing how early this pressure starts. I’ve seen my own 6-year-old niece being made to wear hijab already, not because she personally chose it, but because her parents believe this is what a “good” girl should do and this is what Islam teaches us.

As someone who no longer believes, the pressure feels even heavier, because it’s not just about clothing, it’s about being expected to perform a religious identity constantly.

What surprised me is that India is a democratic country, yet on an individual level the social judgement sometimes feels stronger than in places people assume are “more conservative.”

Of course, Middle Eastern countries do have restrictions depending on the country, and I’m not saying they are completely free societies. But in daily life, in many places, the pressure doesn’t feel as personal or socially suffocating as what I experienced in India.

In India, even stepping outside the house sometimes came with guilt-tripping comments about how girls shouldn’t go out too much, shouldn’t be seen too much, shouldn’t attract attention.

It made me realize how much of religious pressure doesn’t always come from law but it comes from community expectations, fear of judgement, and internalized ideas about honor and reputation.

Sometimes it feels like religion becomes more strictly enforced socially than spiritually.

I honestly feel many Muslim girls in India are dealing with a lot of pressure and are honestly trapped in their own house and I genuinely feel sorry for them.

Again, I’m not saying this applies everywhere or to everyone just sharing what I personally experienced.

Has anyone else noticed this difference between how religion is practiced socially in different countries?

Would be interested to hear other perspectives.