NEW YORK – A brief film at the soon-to-open National September 11 Memorial Museum will explain to visitors the historical roots of the attacks.

The documentary, “The Rise of al-Qaida” and less that 7 minutes long, refers to the terrorists as Islamists who viewed their mission as a jihad. It has become a flash point in one of the most highly charged issues at the museum: how it should talk about Islam and Muslims.

With the museum opening planned for May 21, an interfaith advisory group of clergy members has requested changes to the film, but the museum has declined.

Museum officials are standing by the film, which they say they vetted past several scholars.

At issue is the museum’s use of the religious terminology “Islamist” and “jihad” in conjunction with the Sept. 11 attacks, without making clear that the vast majority of Muslims are peaceful.

According to Akbar Ahmed, chairman of the Islamic studies department at American University, most visitors who see the film are “simply going to say Islamist means Muslims; jihadist means Muslims.”

“But when you associate their religion with what they did, then you are automatically including, by association, 1½ billion people who had nothing to do with these actions and who, ultimately, the U.S. would not want to unnecessarily alienate,” he said.