In a further sign that it is increasingly irrelevant, al-Qaeda released a 34-minute audio from Osama bin Laden’s top deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri condemning the “corrupt” regime of Hosni Mubarak.

Zawahiri called Egypt “a secular and tyrannical regime which is kept in place by oppression and election rigging.” He then referred to Mubarak “as the leader of all the Arab Zionists.”

Ayman al-Zawahiri

Zawahiri’s message does not mention the 18-day protests that eventually toppled Mubarak. That means al-Qaeda has had it in the can since before the January 25 protests and is only now able to release it publicly.

While many wondered why al-Qaeda has been quiet during the protests rocking the Arab world, it appears the reason is because they do not have the means to respond to current events any longer.

Al-Qaeda would have been better off not to release this audio than to lag behind with a completely meaningless message. The only purpose Zawahiri’s message serves is to confirm that al-Qaeda is no longer a player. Al-Qaeda is becoming the equivalent of the guy at a party who laughs five minutes after a joke is told. If this is there attempt at showing the world that they are still around, they would have been smarter to have done nothing.

The protests of the last weeks have done more to change Arab society than anything al-Qaeda has ever done. The terrorist organization does not even seem capable of a major terrorist act anymore. That does not mean that al-Qaeda cannot come back to life, but that is increasingly unlikely.

Those who brought down the Tunisian and Egyptian government and now have Bahrain, Libyan, Jordan and Iran on the ropes see themselves as empowered. Al-Qaeda influence has always been with those who feel disenfranchised. It is simply no longer relevant to the Middle East today.

Hopefully, this evil beast of an organization can be slain for good. Unfortunately, there are other Islamic extremists willing to take its place.