Math Forum / Mathematics / Statistics / July 2009

This is a little bit unintelligible.  You are subtracting the
score on the first component from WHAT?

Your next 4 components are uncorrelated with the first;
"size" has been subtracted out of each of them.

If you want to control for "size" in further analyses with
variables that are correlated with size, the usual step would
be to include size as another covariate.

I wonder about this being a  "survey"  where size is so crucial.
I have seen data, such as surveys of cities, where size (population)
was a major correlate of things like "miles of streets",
"number of police", "number of burglaries", etc.  The
conventional and proper pre-processing was one that
converted the responses into units-per-capita or
units-per-square-mile; or whatever.  Not always easy,
but appropriate.

It's certainly not a standard practice, and probably not a good idea.
The fact that all the variables load positively on the first (or any)
component does not by itself imply that that component represents some
sort of content-independent response bias such as 'willingness to
agree'. There can be other explanations. This is not an appropriate
forum for deciding the question. You need to talk to experts in the
substantive area you are investigating.

Whatever the component may represent, if you do decide to remove it
from the data then you don't simply subtract the component scores from
the data. You partial the component scores out of the data. Treat the
component as a predictor; regress each item in turn on the component,
and keep the residuals. (There are various algebraic shortcuts, but I
fear that giving them here would only confuse things.) The resulting
scores will not be independent from subject to subject, and will to
that extent be unsuitable for further standard analyses, but if the
sample size is large then you may be able to ignore the problem and
proceed as usual without worrying about it.

Are you sure you are looking at the rotated loadings?

Art Kendall
Social Research Consultants

What are the ‘Five Pillars’ of Islam?
August 31st, 2008
I would be thankful if you give my article 5 minute of your value
time.

THANK YOU

What are the ‘Five Pillars’ of Islam?

They are the framework of the Muslim life: faith, prayer, concern for
the needy, self-purification, and the pilgrimage to Makkah for those
who are able.

First Pillar: Faith

There is no god worthy of worship except God and Muhammad is His
messenger. This declaration of faith is called the Shahada, a simple
formula which all the faithful pronounce. In Arabic, the first part is
la ilaha illa’Llah - ‘there is no god except God’; ilaha (god) can
refer to anything which we may be tempted to put in place of God–
wealth, power, and the like. Then comes illa’Llah: ‘except God’, the
source of all Creation. The second part of the Shahada is Muhammadun
rasulu’Llah: ‘Muhammad is the messenger of God.’ A message of guidance
has come through a man like ourselves.

Second Pillar: Prayer

Salat is the name for the obligatory prayers which are performed five
times a day, and are a direct link between the worshiper and God.
There is no hierarchical authority in Islam, and no priests, so the
prayers are led by a learned person who knows the Quran, chosen by the
congregation. These five prayers contain verses from the Quran, and
are said in Arabic, the language of the Revelation, but personal
supplication can be offered in one’s own language.

Prayers are said at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and nightfall,
and thus determine the rhythm of the entire day. Although it is
preferable to worship together in a mosque, a Muslim may pray almost
anywhere, such as in fields, offices, factories and universities.
Visitors to the Muslim world are struck by the centrality of prayers
in daily life.

A translation of the Call to Prayer is:

‘God is most great. God is most great. God is most great. God is most
great. I testify that there is no god except God. I testify that there
is no god except God. I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God. Come to prayer! Come
to prayer! Come to success (in this life and the Hereafter)! Come to
success! God is most great. God is most great. There is no god except
God.’

Once Muslims prayed towards Jerusalem, but during the Prophet’s
lifetime it was changed to Makkah. From the minbar, the pulpit, the
Imam who leads the prayer gives the sermon at the Friday noon
community prayers.

Third Pillar: Zakat

One of the most important principles of Islam is that all things
belong to God, and that wealth is therefore held by human beings in
trust. The word zakat means both ‘purification’ and ‘growth’. Our
possessions are purified by setting aside a proportion for those in
need, and, like the pruning of plants, this cutting back balances and
encourages new growth.

Each Muslim calculates his or her own zakat individually. For most
purposes this involves the payment each year of two and a half percent
of one’s capital. A pious person may also give as much as he or she
pleases as sadaqa, and does so preferably in secret. Although this
word can be translated as ‘voluntary charity’ it has a wider meaning.
The Prophet (SAW) said: ‘Even meeting your brother with a cheerful
face is charity.’

The Prophet (SAW) said: ‘Charity is a necessity for every Muslim.’ He
was asked: ‘What if a person has nothing?’ The Prophet (SAW) replied:
‘He should work with his own hands for his benefit and then give
something out of such earnings in charity.’ The Companions asked:
‘What if he is not able to work?’ The Prophet (SAW) said: ‘He should
help poor and needy persons.’ The Companions further asked ‘What if he
cannot do even that?’ The Prophet (SAW) said ‘He should urge others to
do good.’ The Companions said ‘What if he lacks that also?’ The
Prophet (SAW) said ‘He should check himself from doing evil. That is
also charity.’

Fourth Pillar: The Fast

Every year in the month of Ramadan, all Muslims fast from first light
until sundown, abstaining from food, drink, and sexual relations.
Those who are sick, elderly, or on a journey, and women who are
pregnant or nursing are permitted to break the fast and make up an
equal number of days later in the year. If they are physically unable
to do this, they must feed a needy person for every day missed.
Children begin to fast (and to observe the prayer) from puberty,
although many start earlier.

Although the fast is most beneficial to the health, it is regarded
principally as a method of self purification. By cutting oneself off
from worldly comforts, even for a short time, a fasting person gains
true sympathy with those who go hungry as well as growth in one’s
spiritual life.

Fifth Pillar: The Pilgrimage (Hajj)

The annual pilgrimage to Makkah, the Hajj, is an obligation only for
those who are physically and financially able to perform it.
Nevertheless, about two million people go to Makkah each year from
every comer of the globe providing a unique opportunity for those of
different nations to meet one another. Although Makkah is always
filled with visitors, the annual Hajj begins in the twelfth month of
the Islamic year (which is lunar, not solar, so that Hajj and Ramadan
fall sometimes in summer, sometimes in winter). Pilgrims wear special
clothes: simple garments which strip away distinctions of class and
culture, so that all stand equal before God.

The rites of the Hajj, which are of Abrahamic origin, include circling
the Ka’ba seven times, and going seven times between the mountains of
Safa and Marwa as did Hagar during her search for water. Then the
pilgrims stand together on the wide plain of Arafa and join in prayers
for God’s forgiveness, in what is often thought of as a preview of the
Last Judgment.

In previous centuries the Hajj was an arduous undertaking. Today,
however, Saudi Arabia provides millions of people with water, modem
transport, and the most up-to-date health facilities.

The close of the Hajj is marked by a festival, the Eid al-Adha, which
is celebrated with prayers and the exchange of gifts in Muslim
communities everywhere. This, and the Eid al-Fitr, a feast-day
commemorating the end of Ramadan, are the main festivals of the Muslim
calendar.

—————————————-

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Hi Steve,

What I'm a bit concerned about in your approach is that you say that
your data come from a survey. A PCA is based on the matrix of
correlations. And correlations are to be weighted taking into account
the sampling design. Did you take this into account in your code ?

Catherine.