An Iowa college professor assigned his students to write a “historical account’’ of 9/11 — from the terrorists’ perspective.

“Write a paper that gives a historical account of 911 from the perspective of the terrorist network,” lecturer James Strohman wrote in an assignment for his international studies students at Iowa State University and obtained by The College Fix website.

“In other words, how might al Qaeda or a non-Western historian describe what happened.

“Don’t worry about the fact you don’t agree with the terrorists,” the assignment continues. “The point of the exercise is to consider completely different perspectives.”

He advised the students that there is no right answer — “just your ability to look at what we consider a heinous action from other perspectives.”

The assignment acknowledges that the task may be a difficult one but that the point is to “get out of the box” and examine the mindsets of other people, cultures and historical perspectives.

University spokesman Rob Schweers defended the assignment in a statement to The Fix.

“As you can see, the assignment was in no way an attempt to diminish the tragic events of September 11, 2001,” Schweers said. “Nor was it designed to support the goals of al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.”

He added that the task would help students expand their critical thinking skills and analyze international events through a “different lens.”

“This is similar to the vital work being performed in our nation’s diplomatic and intelligence operations, such as the Central Intelligence Agency, or the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research,” he said.

Strohman is a registered Democrat who formerly served on the Story County Board of Supervisors and currently works on the Iowa Employment Appeal Board.