For the umpteenth time, Yasin Hajj Saleh is not a leftist and he denounces leftism and leftists regularly IN ARABIC

I don't know why recently Western media (including The Intercept) have been referring to Yassin Has Saleh as "a leftist"--as in this reference in the Times: " said the Syrian dissident Yassin al-Haj Saleh, a secular leftist".  The man never ever talks about himself being a leftist and he denounces leftists and leftism regularly in Arabic.  In Arabic he always identifies as a liberal (in the Arab sense of being an Arab liberal, which usually means identification with the goals of Gulf regimes in the region).  Also, Mr. Saleh writes in Al-Hayat (the mouthpiece of Prince Khalid Bin Sultan).  The paper does not allow leftists to publish, only "Arab liberals", where they can have full freedoms to denounce leftists and leftism.  I think that Western media want to accord him more legitimacy and they know that the word "liberal" is tainted in the Arab context and thus prefer to label him as a leftist.  He is a former leftist, just as many of the writers in the Arab oil and gas media are former leftists.  Big difference.