Uighurs no longer feel safe in Turkey
Despite the brotherhood accorded to them as kinsmen and coreligionists, Uighurs in Turkey increasingly live in fear of deportation to China.
![CHINA-XINJIANG/TURKEY A masked Uighur boy takes part in a protest against China, at the courtyard of Fatih Mosque, a common meeting place for pro-Islamist demonstrators in Istanbul, Turkey, November 6, 2018. REUTERS/Murad Sezer SEARCH "SEZER NOURMUHAMMED" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. - RC1EFCCF5820](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2019/08/RTS2F59T.jpg/RTS2F59T.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=X82npx_t)
Turkey sees itself as a leading supporter of the Uighurs, its Turkic kinsmen and co-religionists in China’s autonomous Xinjiang region who are bearing the brunt of Beijing’s repressive efforts to “Sinicize” all religions in the country.
Nevertheless, Uighurs in East Turkestan — as Uighurs as well as Turks know Xinjiang — are increasingly looking to the West for support as Ankara’s reluctance to upset its ties with China becomes more apparent.