Do we need more Research on Salafism? And, if so, what kind of Research?

Symbolic picture for the article. The link opens the image in a large view.

Blog article by Riem Spielhaus, sicherheitspolitik-blog (21st January 2016).

In current political debates as well as in scientific publications, we often claim to know to little about the phenomenon of Salafism. And in fact; Publications based on empirical data are still rare, while conceptual and historical arguments in the field of Salafism prevail just as much as data from security authorities. What are the reasons for this lack, which knowledge is needed to deal with Salafism and which research approaches seem promising?