The head of the United Nations Development Fund for Women, Noeleen Heyzer, said Thursday that Iraqi women are in many ways worse off now than during Saddam Hussein’s regime. Heyzer said the lack of security and the threat from religious fundamentalists prevent many women from playing a larger role in the rebuilding of Iraq. Last week one of the three women on the Iraqi Governing Council, Akila al-Hashemi, was assassinated.