Islam and women

This is something that really makes me both interested and puzzled, the view on women in Islam.
Myself lives in Sweden and it isn't uncommon for me to hear how badly women are treated within Islam, yet there are Swedish women converting to Islam, I have heard two very different sides of how women should be treated within Islam, the reason Swedes claims they are treated badly is because "they have to wear Hijabs!" ( tough i guess they mean the headscarves ) and are viewed as less worth then the men, and compare that to the Swedish women who are allowed to show their hair and are, at least according to law, equally worth to men ( tough a lot of Swedish men still look down on women ). From a documentary I saw with Muslims living in Sweden a man pointed at a women wearing Abaya ( I'm sorry if it isn't called Abaya, what i mean is the black long dress that covers everything but their face/eyes, might be Chador I mean? ) and said that men respects her, they don't look at her, they don't talk to her etc, which sound strange for a Swede like me, how would it be respected to not be talked to? At the same time, I've also heard that women have the opportunity to choose if they want to be part of Islam and if they themselves choosed this life, then by all means.
I do not believe that just cause our views are different it means yours are bad, I am merely trying to understand the truth behind what I suspect to be propaganda spread by hostile people aswell as the difference in views, if Swedish women who are used to living with their hair loose etc, choose to convert to Islam and wear headscarves, I highly doubt it is as bad as people are trying to make it seem, I've read too that young muslim women are going against wearing headscarves, what I've read about the Hijab is that both men and women wear them and they need to be modest in eachothers company, women wear headscarves and men has to lower their gaze ( which I think some Swedish men should learn... )

I am trying to puzzle togheter pieces of random information so I will be happy to hear what the true views are on women in Islam.

Okay, Chadar isn't a 'must' in islam. So, if u don't use cadar it's okay. But the rules is to wear Jilbab.
Why?
Because Islam want to protect the woman from the bad guy, If u're a good guy you should marry her so she have a same position like u. *sorry if i rude* imagine if a boyfriend have a sex with his girlfriend, and that girl is pregnant, but the boy is irresposible and leave that girl alone with the baby in her uterus. Can u imagine the woman position in that, it's not fair, the boy just gone and the woman must take care of the child. And the child grow without father. Isn't it sad?

"they don't look at her, they don't talk to her"
Boy can talk to girl but not with a dirty mind. If it's something like schoolwork, etc they can talk. Not think the dirty thought about her is a respect in islam. Qur'an say to the boy and the woman to lower her/his gaze to protect them from disrespect (think dirty thought) about their opposite gender

Btw, Abaya is the long dress (u can combine with a skirt and shirt), Khimar is what we put in the head, cadar is a fabric that cover the face except eyes. Jilbab is Khimar+abaya. And the color must not black, we can use another color

I want to say many word but, my ability to write english isn't necessary so I'm really sorry if it's confusing

*Sorry, bad grammar

Edited by Onigirice - 26 February 2016 at 11:58am

Hi
I am 43 male / saudi arabia
Seen your comments about women in islam
It is very long complicated answer
But believe me sister , from inside view , even from inside of saudi arabia community view , it is very much like the western sense of living at any community regarding same matter ... human nature prevail ... covered uncovered , polygamy or not ... it us very much same life style ...
I had been into newzealand 3 times
E mail me if u like : [email protected]
Or whats app me ! :    00966553600049
Thanks and best wishes
Dr Murad

very nice jazakAllah