diff --git a/mozilla/browser/base/content/contentAreaUtils.js b/mozilla/browser/base/content/contentAreaUtils.js
index 184b46d56aa..8f6d5d5abb0 100644
--- a/mozilla/browser/base/content/contentAreaUtils.js
+++ b/mozilla/browser/base/content/contentAreaUtils.js
@@ -61,8 +61,17 @@ function openNewTabWith(href, linkNode, event, securityCheck)
   if (event && event.shiftKey)
     loadInBackground = !loadInBackground;
 
+  // As in openNewWindowWith(), we want to pass the charset of the
+  // current document over to a new tab. 
+  var wintype = document.firstChild.getAttribute('windowtype');
+  var originCharset;
+  if (wintype == "navigator:browser") {
+    originCharset = window._content.document.characterSet;
+  }
+
+  // open link in new tab
   var browser = top.document.getElementById("content");  
-  var theTab = browser.addTab(href, getReferrer(document));
+  var theTab = browser.addTab(href, getReferrer(document), originCharset);
   if (!loadInBackground)
     browser.selectedTab = theTab;
   
diff --git a/mozilla/toolkit/content/widgets/browser.xml b/mozilla/toolkit/content/widgets/browser.xml
index 04d69bfb108..059d9b19fb6 100644
--- a/mozilla/toolkit/content/widgets/browser.xml
+++ b/mozilla/toolkit/content/widgets/browser.xml
@@ -110,11 +110,12 @@
       <method name="loadURI">
         <parameter name="aURI"/>
         <parameter name="aReferrerURI"/>
+        <parameter name="aCharset"/>
         <body>
           <![CDATA[
             const nsIWebNavigation = Components.interfaces.nsIWebNavigation;
             const flags = nsIWebNavigation.LOAD_FLAGS_NONE;
-            this.loadURIWithFlags(aURI, flags, aReferrerURI);
+            this.loadURIWithFlags(aURI, flags, aReferrerURI, aCharset);
           ]]>
         </body>
       </method>
@@ -124,11 +125,19 @@
         <parameter name="aURI"/>
         <parameter name="aFlags"/>
         <parameter name="aReferrerURI"/>
+        <parameter name="aCharset"/>
         <body>
           <![CDATA[
             if (!aURI)
               aURI = "about:blank";
 
+            if (aCharset) {
+              try { 
+                this.documentCharsetInfo.parentCharset = this.mAtomService.getAtom(aCharset);
+              }
+              catch (e) {
+              }
+            }
             this.webNavigation.loadURI(aURI, aFlags, aReferrerURI, null, null);
           ]]>
         </body>
@@ -238,6 +247,11 @@
                   .getBranch(null);
       </field>
 
+      <field name="mAtomService" readonly="true">
+        Components.classes['@mozilla.org/atom-service;1']
+                  .getService(Components.interfaces.nsIAtomService);
+      </field>
+
       <field name="_mStrBundle">null</field>
 
       <property name="mStrBundle">
diff --git a/mozilla/toolkit/content/widgets/tabbrowser.xml b/mozilla/toolkit/content/widgets/tabbrowser.xml
index ad442560068..4dca0b9be8e 100644
--- a/mozilla/toolkit/content/widgets/tabbrowser.xml
+++ b/mozilla/toolkit/content/widgets/tabbrowser.xml
@@ -644,6 +644,7 @@
       <method name="addTab">
         <parameter name="aURI"/>
         <parameter name="aReferrerURI"/>
+        <parameter name="aCharset"/>
         <body>
           <![CDATA[
             var blank = (aURI == "about:blank");
@@ -1018,9 +1019,10 @@
       <method name="loadURI">
         <parameter name="aURI"/>
         <parameter name="aReferrerURI"/>
+        <parameter name="aCharset"/>
         <body>
           <![CDATA[
-            return this.mCurrentBrowser.loadURI(aURI, aReferrerURI);
+            return this.mCurrentBrowser.loadURI(aURI, aReferrerURI, aCharset);
           ]]>
         </body>
       </method>
@@ -1030,9 +1032,10 @@
         <parameter name="aURI"/>
         <parameter name="aFlags"/>
         <parameter name="aReferrerURI"/>
+        <parameter name="aCharset"/>
         <body>
           <![CDATA[
-            return this.mCurrentBrowser.loadURIWithFlags(aURI, aFlags, aReferrerURI);
+            return this.mCurrentBrowser.loadURIWithFlags(aURI, aFlags, aReferrerURI, aCharset);
           ]]>
         </body>
       </method>
