Women are mistreated in Islam

There is a common misconception that women are undervalued in Islam, which I have noticed many people have picked up on in many different debates, but I'd like to say that I believe it to be nothing but a mere misconception. I think the trouble lies with a number of factors here. Firstly, I will not as a devout Muslim, claim that all problems we face are due to Western society and the media in general, and I won't hide away from saying, the ignorance is not just from non Muslims, but Muslim too. Many of the translations of the Holy Text are either unjustified, incorrect or simply misleading and do not do justice to the beautiful Arabic words. In regard to women, many people use the verse in the Qur'an which apparently says 'men are superior to women' - 4:34. But after hearing the rulings of scholars of the Arabic language, the verse actually means 'Men have more responsibility over women'. Now here is a classic example of us Muslims ourselves failing to know the responses to arguments against out peaceful religion. Now in terms of the verse, responsibility must be distinguished from equality. Just because the responsibility is different does not mean the equality is not existent as the Qur'an also says 'men are garments for women, and women are garments for men', where both genders are put in the same boat. So when people argue that all the prophets are male and thus Islam is against women, it must be acknowledged that Islam gives men more responsibility, not rights. Furthermore, a fault of the media unfortunately, is that it takes the act and intent of a small group of individuals who unfortunately hold governments in Saudi Arabia, to be the view of Muslims in general. What bothers me the most is how the whole of Islam can be painted with a single stroke based on the actions of selfish individuals who advocate that their actions are Islamic. What needs to be acknowledged is that Islam is pure - how do we know, from the example of the Holy Qur'an and the Prophet. Many say that these means are outdated and we should see what Islam is today rather than what it was 1400 years ago.. but here is the reality. We believe the Qur'an always applies, Allah knew what the world would be like today and the Qur'an does apply now. Also, even though Islam is being hijacked today, the pure Islam can only, and I mean only, be showcased by the prophet and his family. So even if so called Muslims are mistreating women, this does not mean Islam is the reason behind it. So Saudi Arabia banning women from driving, voting, even walking without a male Mahram, are not Islamic teachings necessarily at all. They are just actions of a small minority of Muslims. There's a verse often used to prove men are allowed to beat their wives in a last resort. However again, ignorance has led to the translation somewhat lacking depth. The word used in the verse to allegedly mean 'beat' has also been used in the Qur'an to mean the following to pick a few: -to leave -to get out -to separate And many more. So when quoting the Qur'an, the verse should be examined with more care. Furthermore, I'd like to completely reverse the argument now and advocate the ideology which many people fail to address, and that is the fact that Islam actually honours women. When men go for the pilgrimage of Makkah, they circulate the holy house of God with an intention which is 'An - Nisaa'. This means 'the women'. So, it is a man's obligation to bless their wives and the women in their lives every time they visit God. If they fail to do so, according to a major shia cleric, the man's wife becomes unlawful for him. Furthermore, the Prophet put a lot of emphasis on the role of the mother, so much so that he said 'Heaven is under the foot of the mother'. So here we are shown that mothers are in fact the route to Heaven. Furthermore, the prophet has said that the only factor which in the eyes of God differentiates humankind is piety, not race, gender, social standing or wealth. So that is something to take into account. Now in terms of the Hijaab. Many people think Hijaab is the black cloth a women wears over her head, and I don't blame people for thinking this because the term is misused in all societies. In reality, Hijaab translates to Modesty. And the manner in which women are taught to express this modesty is through covering the most of their bodies and hair. However, to prove that Islam is not favourable towards men, we are also obligated to carry out Hijaab, modesty, and this is something widely ignored by both Muslims and non Muslims. In Islam, men are also not allowed to expose too much body, but the main Hijaab prescribed is to 'lower your gaze' where men are not allowed to stare at the opposite gender. This is also Hijaab, so Hijaab is not a means of lowering women's status, rather it is a means of lowering all of the Muslims pride, in attempt to stay modest. I'd like to try keep this debate very civilised, many debates start turning into hatred and ignorance. I am however trying to address the fault of not just non Muslims, but Muslims too, in the misconceptions surrounding Islam, a pure, peaceful but in today's world, hijacked, religion. I'd appreciate a thorough reading of my points and a nice response, as I am genuinely curious of people's opinions and would like to remove such a hideous accusation and misinterpretation regarding my pure religion. Thanks.