Channel NewsAsia spoke to Professor Osman Bakar, Malaysia Chair of Islam in Southeast Asia, Centre for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University, Washington DC.

An eye-witness to the Pentagon attack, Professor Osman recounts the events of the day;

When I saw on TV on September 11 morning that the twin towers at the World Trade Centre had been hit by two planes, it suddenly came to my mind that something big and very, very serious has taken place.

The first thing in my mind is who had done that and certainly there was a thought that this might be the work of some Muslims, although I know that in the US, people were cautious about any particular group because to a certain extent, people have learnt from the McVeigh bombing of Oklahoma. Coz when that happened, many Americans jumped to the conclusion that Muslim terrorists had done that. Then they found out that it was home-grown terrorists of Mcveigh and his accomplices.

Considering the issue that Osama and AlQaeda had been in the news for some time, of course there is this tendency also of linking the act of terrorism with Osama for his group.

As I was staying very close to the Pentagon, the attack on Pentagon was ... I witnessed that event because that morning after watching the attack on the WTC in New York, I heard the roaring of an aeroplane over the apartment which is very unusual.

Within seconds, I heard a mighty explosion. I rushed to the balcony and saw smoke rising up the sky. My wife and the children were in panic, most concerned. What's going on and we heard news that another plane was on the way to Washington. They were not sure if it's going to hit the White House or Capitol Hill. So the situation became tense.

Professor Osman also discusses the devastating impact the attack had on Islam;

There is definitely going to be a backlash against the Muslims and as a matter of fact, it did happen. Muslims are going to be the targets, especially Muslim women who wear the veil, the hijab or the tudung.

This is a setback to the growth of Islam in the USA; a big setback. Days after, I discussed this with my colleague at Georgetown and she told me our decades of work have been destroyed by this terrorist attack. That was the feeling of many Muslims.

The good work that is done, the many attempts to explain Islam to the American
people, to create confidence and understanding between the larger American
public and the Muslim community, that has been shattered.