I can't imagine Muslim parents having the chutzpah to insist on this - so I presume that the European lady who brought this up was an atheist (correct me if I'm wrong).
It appears that she was objecting to the depictions of Roman instruments of torture showing a dying man, and perhaps also found it disturbing that the worshippers knelt down before this instrument of torture and ritualistically undertook cannibalism (as Dan Brown puts it in his latest book).
Anyway - I think it is political correctness gone mad and do not support the removal of crucifixes.... and here's the joke:
A young woman teacher with obvious liberal tendencies explains to her class of small children that she is an atheist. She asks her class if they're atheists too. Not really knowing what atheism is but wanting to be like their teacher, their hands explode into the air like fleshy fireworks. There is, however, one exception. A beautiful girl named Zainab has not gone along with the crowd. The teacher asks her why she has decided to be different. "Because I'm not an atheist."
Then, asks the teacher, "What are you?" "I'm a Muslim." The teacher is a little perturbed now, her face slightly red. She asks Zainab why she is a Muslim. "Well, I was brought up knowing and loving God. My mom is a Muslim, and my dad is a Muslim, so I am a Muslim."
The teacher is now angry. "That's no reason," she says loudly, "what if your mom was a moron,and your dad was a moron, - what would you be then?" She paused, and smiled. "Then," says Zainab, "I'd be an atheist."
Cheers,
Shafique
