Uighur debate shows shifting influence in Turkish policies

Differences of opinion within the Turkish security bureaucracy on how to react to China’s treatment of Uighur Turks reveal competing camps.
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
A masked Uighur boy takes part in a protest against China in the courtyard of Fatih Mosque, a common meeting place for pro-Islamist demonstrators, Istanbul, Turkey, Nov. 6, 2018. - REUTERS/Murad Sezer
12_Photo Metin Gurcan.jpg
Metin Gurcan
@Metin4020

Turkey’s security officials are divided over how to handle China’s ongoing repressive policies against the Uighurs, a Turkic minority living mainly in China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.

Pro-Russian circles believe Turkey shouldn’t take any approach that might hurt Ankara-Beijing ties, while conservative circles defend a "moral" approach to support a fellow Muslim community.

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