Kuala Lumpur: The youth leader of a Malaysian opposition party has claimed the MH17 tragedy was God punishing Malaysia Airlines for serving alcohol on its flights and its “indecent” dress code.

Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman, the youth information chief of the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), said the serving of alcohol, which is prohibited under Islam, and the dress code of Malaysia Airlines flight attendants' “cross the boundaries of Islam.”

Part of the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, in a field in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. Credit:Reuters

But as predominantly Malaysia mourns the loss of its second Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 in months, other politicians condemned the remarks as the country’s 222 MPs put aside their political differences while prime minister Najib Razak moved a condolence motion in an emergency session of Parliament.

Mr Tarmizi was quoted in Malaysia’s media as saying majority state-owned Malaysia Airlines was ignoring the tenets of Islam.