Why do people keep saying the f-35 is a equal to the f-22?

I think they mean equal to in the sense of the missions they provide. The F-22 is the best pure fighter aircraft in the world today, and the F-35 will be the best strike fighter in the world. As of now there is a gap in the technologies. The F-22 is far more advanced and stealthy than the F-16, F-18, A-10, A-6. So bringing the F-35 into play to replace those aircraft will mean having 2 aircraft equal in capabilities of the roles they provide. It's not just about all the techincal numbers you gave, like performance, because the F-35 is an attack aircraft, used for close air support, it doesn't need to be and shouldn't be as fast as the raptor.