Uyghurs ethnically resemble their Turkic Central Asian neighbors

Evidence

However, like Kashmiris or Palestinians or First Nations in the Americas, Uyghur Muslims continue to fight for that coveted land. In addition to having a mutual religious affinity, Uyghurs share ethnic similarities with the predominantly Turkic inhabitants of their Central Asian neighbors, such as Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Xinjiang, which means “New Frontier” in Mandarin, is romantically called East Turkistan by Uyghur Muslims, in hopes that “one day, we will be free as a nation and a people.” — Khaled A. Beydoun, The New Crusades_ Islamophobia and the…, 614