A voice message by Osama bin Laden has been released by al Qaeda and apparently records their late leader praising the revolutions in the Middle East and calling for Muslims to rise up.
In bin Laden’s 12-minute recorded message he voices his approval for the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt and says that this is a “rare historic opportunity” for Muslims to take control.
“The (Muslim) nation was always getting ready for the victory that is rising from the eastern horizon, but the surprise was that the sun of the revolution rose from the Maghreb, the west,” bin Laden says.
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“The light of the revolution sparked in Tunisia, and the nation felt the relief, the faces of the people got brightened, and the throats of the rulers got coarser, and the Jews got terrified because the coming of the promised day.”
“With the overthrow of the tyrant, the definitions of fear, humiliation and surrender have fallen as well. The new meanings of freedom, pride, audacity and courage were risen. The winds of change came, in a will of liberation.”
Bin Laden apparently recorded the message two weeks before his death. He offered advice on how to stage a revolution, suggesting that followers set up “operations rooms” to orchestrate rebellion.
Listen to Osama bin Laden’s recorded message here.
The al Qaeda leader’s audio message appeared on a video posted on Islamist websites. US monitoring group SITE intelligence has translated the message into English.
“I think that the winds of change will blow over the entire Muslim world, with permission from Allah,” Osama bin Laden says in the recording.
“There is a serious crossroads before you, and a great and rare historic opportunity to rise up with the Ummah (Muslim community) and to free yourselves from servitude to the desires of the rulers, man-made law, and Western dominance,” bin Laden continues.
Despite bin Laden’s praise for the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, in reality Islamists played little role in either conflict, suggesting that al Qaeda may be losing their relevance.
While both al Qaeda and the West back the uprisings, they seek very different outcomes. The West hopes that the outcome will be democracy, while al-Qaeda wants to see Islamic law imposed.
Osama bin Laden was shot dad by US Navy Seals at his home in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 2.