The outrage caused by the killings of ethnic Turkic Uighurs at the hands of Chinese forces has led many to discuss the reasons that might have led to the incidents. Some analysts expect Turkey to show a stronger reaction, condemn the atrocities against the Uighurs and take the necessary steps to stand up for their Turkic brothers. “Riots which broke out at a toy factory in Guangdong spread to Urumqi. Hundreds of Uighur Turks were killed. These killings and arbitrary detentions will raise the determination of our fellow Turkic brothers in East Turkestan. Although the riots failed to be successful today, they will open the way of hopes for tomorrow,” says Sabah's Nazlı Ilıcak, who believes that the incidents now taking place in Urumqi might one day save East Turkestan from China's rule, with it becoming an independent country like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. “I hope Turkey will stand up for the Uighur Turks as much as it did for the Gazans, who were subjected to Israeli atrocities [early this year],” says Ilıcak.
Bugün's Ahmet Taşgetiren thinks Turkey should show a stronger reaction to the Chinese administration, condemning the killings of Uighur Turks. “China should know that when East Turkestan is hurt, Turkey is hurt. Russia should know that a massacre in the Caucasus will disturb Turkey. Greece, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Serbia should be aware of Turkey's sensitivity,” he says. Taşgetiren welcomes the fact that the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) intervened in the massacre in East Turkestan, but he says there is a need for more concrete and effective steps for the settlement of the conflict. In the wake of this, he mentions that he expects a statement from President Abdullah Gül condemning the ongoing brutality against the Uighur Turks.
Dwelling on the reasons for ethnic unrest in China, Star's Mehmet Altan says bloody incidents like those in China occur in some countries that long for the “nation-state” notion although many countries have left this notion behind due to the influence of industrialization. “Both as individuals and as a state, we and Turkey are deeply saddened by the violence perpetrated against our fellow Turkic brothers,” says Altan. Nevertheless, he says that when similar pressures are imposed on the Kurdish citizens of the country by the state, we do not show any interest in it and even support those pressures. “Because when the era is changing, the problem is the same everywhere. Due to previous conditioning, we fail to see the human as the holiest thing and fail to accept him/her as they are in light of their basic rights and liberties. It is like failing to be a world citizen,” explains Altan.
Bugün's Erhan Başyurt finds it strange that the massacre in Xinjiang took place only one week after President Gül paid a visit to the region, the highest-level Turkish visit to the Uighur region. “The following wave of violence turned the Uighur's joy into sorrow. An interesting coincidence,” says Başyurt, noting that the events happening in the shadow of Gül's China visit, which aimed to develop bilateral relations with the country, is very thought-provoking. Başyurt does not mean to say that Gül's visit to the region triggered the violent incidents, but says it played an accelerating role in the outbreak of ethnic tension and hatred, which has built up over time, leading to the revival of fear of the despotic government.
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