Woman in Islam Protected(Pro) or Subjugated(Con)

As you command it, I will try and keep my argument related to the religious views on the status of women rather than the cultural take, although it can't be denied that the harsh cultural views on the status of woman would not exist without what I think to be the equally, if not harsher and immoral religious teachings of the Qur'an on the rights, respect and status of women. BEATING Muhammad beat his wives. ... He (Muhammad) struck me (Aisha) on the chest which caused me pain ... (Muslim: bk. 4, no. 2127) Muhammad's companions also beat his wives and other women. Narrated Aisha: "A necklace of mine was lost at Al-Baida' and we were on our way to Medina. The Prophet made his camel kneel down and dismounted and laid his head on my lap and slept. Abu Bakr came to me and hit me violently on the chest and said, "You have detained the people because of a necklace." ... (Bukhari: vol. 6, bk. 60, no. 132, Khan) In the Qur'an Muhammad commanded that beating was part of the process for controlling a rebellious wife. "And those (wives) you fear may be rebellious admonish; banish them to their couches, and beat them." (Qur'an 4:34, Arberry) SATISFYING THE MAN'S SEXUAL DESIRES The Qur'an, speaking figuratively about sex, says of women: "Women are your fields: go, then, into your fields whence you please". (Qur'an 2:223, Dawood) Muhammad gave strong warnings to women who would not accommodate their husband's or master's desire. Talq b. `Ali reported God's messenger as saying, "When a man calls his wife to satisfy his desire she must go to him even if she is occupied at the oven." Tirmidhi transmitted it. (Mishkat Al-Masabih: vol. 2, p. 691) MENTAL CAPACITY The Qur'an says that the testimony of a woman is not equal to that of a man. It says that the testimony of two women is required to be equal to the testimony of one man. "Call in two male witnesses from among you, but if two men cannot be found, then one man and two women whom you judge fit to act as witnesses". (Qur'an 2:282, Dawood) Why is it that the testimony of a woman is only worth half that of a man? Muhammad explains in the following hadith. Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri: The Prophet said, "Isn't the witness of a women equal to half that of a man?" The women said "yes". He said "This is because of the deficiency of the women's mind." (Bukhari: vol. 3, bk. 48, no. 826, Khan) THERE ARE MORE WOMEN IN HELL AND LESS IN HEAVEN Ibn Abbas reported that Allah's Messenger said: "I had a chance to look into paradise and I found that majority of the people was poor and I looked into the Fire and there I found the majority constituted by women". (Muslim: bk. 36, no. 6596-6601, Siddiqui) Taking all this into account I don't feel as if the Islam religion gives women the slightest sliver of rights. They essentially have no rights and are treated like property or cattle. I'm sorry but saying that Islam has given Women the best possible status on this Earth is an insult to the Muslim women who are beaten, used as sex slaves and are treated as all round inferior to men. However what's more important in relation to this debate is the fact that women are ALLOWED be beaten, used as sex slaves and to be seen as inferior under the Islamic religion, as I have shown. I look forward to your response.