What Osama told Muslims in his last message

Osama bin Laden extols the "winds of change" blowing in the Arab world and asks Muslims around the world to keep the present day revolutions from running out of steam in a new audio tape apparently recorded a few months before his death.

Al Qaeda has released a new "posthumous" 13-minute audio tape of bin Laden which has an apparent reference to revolts in Tunisia and Egypt.

This is the first audio message of bin Laden released by Al Qaeda after his death.

"Al Qaeda's media arm, as-Sahab, released a posthumous audio from slain Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden addressing Muslims about the revolutions sweeping the Middle East and North Africa," SITE Intel Group said.

"The winds of change flew to the square of Tahrir (in Cairo)... and a great revolution was begun," bin Laden is quoted as saying in the audio.

"This wasn't a revolution of starving and pain, but a revolution of giving and peace. The great oppression in our countries has reached great levels and we have delayed enough the wave of change," he says.

The Al Qaeda leader, who was killed by United States forces in a special operation in Pakistan on May 2, asks Muslims to not let the new wave of revolution wear out. He tells Muslims to fight ignorance for the revolutions to succeed.

"Let the truth ring out. Remember those that go out with a sword are true believers, those that go fight with their tongue are true believers, and those that fight in their hearts are true believers," bin Laden says.

 "Oh Muslims, you have seen many revolutions in your past...those that the people have been so happy about, but then have turned into nothing. And the way to keep these revolutions from having the same problem is fighting ignorance," he said

"And some of the most important information is Islam. For this is the true crisis that has hit our nations," he says according to the available translation of his message.