Habiba Fathi, author of the book Femmes d'Autorité dans L'Asie Centrale Contemporaine (Women of Authority in Contemporary Central Asia), discusses the role of women in Islam in Central Asia. Fathi challenges the view that women occupy only a subservient position within the faith, asserting that women not only participate in religious life but can come to occupy places of authority. Fathi s book draws on her personal experiences as well as field research in Central Asia.