Sheikh Ali Gomaa, former Grand Mufti of Egypt, said in a TV interview that "there is not a single female heart surgeon in the world" and that this was because "it requires great physical effort - beyond what a woman is capable of." Speaking on the Saudi MBC TV channel on April 7, Sheikh Gomaa also said that there is "equality, but not identity," between men and women and that joining the commando does not befit the woman's build or body.

Ali Gomaa: There is equality, but not identity, between men and women.

Interviewer: What's the difference between the two?

Interviewer: Identity means...

Ali Gomaa: The modern feminist phenomena that call for identity between men and women have led women to play soccer and practice in bodybuilding, wrestling, and weight lifting. These women develop muscles. They want to be identical in everything. It has reached the point that some women, in keeping with the law, have joined the commando - on land, in air, and at sea. This does not befit the build and body of the woman. But, no! They want to prove that it does befit women. You may have noticed that there is not a single female heart surgeon in the world.

Interviewer: Not a single female heart surgeon in the world?

Ali Gomaa: That's right.

Interviewer: That's the first time I've heard this.

Ali Gomaa: It's amazing. It's peculiar. Why do you think that there are none? Because it requires great physical effort - beyond what a woman is capable of. That's in general. Along comes a woman who challenges this, and she succeeds in becoming a surgeon. But she is one woman among several million male surgeons.

[…]