diff --git a/AUTHORS b/AUTHORS
index ad3c88354c..d31e36069f 100644
--- a/AUTHORS
+++ b/AUTHORS
@@ -94,6 +94,7 @@ answer newbie questions, and generally made Django that much better:
     Sengtha Chay <sengtha@e-khmer.com>
     ivan.chelubeev@gmail.com
     Bryan Chow <bryan at verdjn dot com>
+    Antonis Christofides <anthony@itia.ntua.gr>
     Michal Chruszcz <troll@pld-linux.org>
     Can Burak Çilingir <canburak@cs.bilgi.edu.tr>
     Ian Clelland <clelland@gmail.com>
diff --git a/django/core/servers/fastcgi.py b/django/core/servers/fastcgi.py
index d7145e15ec..dc4c35b08d 100644
--- a/django/core/servers/fastcgi.py
+++ b/django/core/servers/fastcgi.py
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ Optional Fcgi settings: (setting=value)
   workdir=DIRECTORY    change to this directory when daemonizing.
   outlog=FILE          write stdout to this file.
   errlog=FILE          write stderr to this file.
+  umask=UMASK          umask to use when daemonizing (default 022).
 
 Examples:
   Run a "standard" fastcgi process on a file-descriptor
@@ -73,6 +74,7 @@ FASTCGI_OPTIONS = {
     'maxrequests': 0,
     'outlog': None,
     'errlog': None,
+    'umask': None,
 }
 
 def fastcgi_help(message=None):
@@ -159,6 +161,8 @@ def runfastcgi(argset=[], **kwargs):
         daemon_kwargs['out_log'] = options['outlog']
     if options['errlog']:
         daemon_kwargs['err_log'] = options['errlog']
+    if options['umask']:
+        daemon_kwargs['umask'] = int(options['umask'])
 
     if daemonize:
         from django.utils.daemonize import become_daemon
diff --git a/django/utils/daemonize.py b/django/utils/daemonize.py
index f0c2f684bd..68e5392d89 100644
--- a/django/utils/daemonize.py
+++ b/django/utils/daemonize.py
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@ import os
 import sys
 
 if os.name == 'posix':
-    def become_daemon(our_home_dir='.', out_log='/dev/null', err_log='/dev/null'):
+    def become_daemon(our_home_dir='.', out_log='/dev/null',
+                      err_log='/dev/null', umask=022):
         "Robustly turn into a UNIX daemon, running in our_home_dir."
         # First fork
         try:
@@ -13,7 +14,7 @@ if os.name == 'posix':
             sys.exit(1)
         os.setsid()
         os.chdir(our_home_dir)
-        os.umask(0)
+        os.umask(umask)
 
         # Second fork
         try:
@@ -32,13 +33,13 @@ if os.name == 'posix':
         # Set custom file descriptors so that they get proper buffering.
         sys.stdout, sys.stderr = so, se
 else:
-    def become_daemon(our_home_dir='.', out_log=None, err_log=None):
+    def become_daemon(our_home_dir='.', out_log=None, err_log=None, umask=022):
         """
         If we're not running under a POSIX system, just simulate the daemon
         mode by doing redirections and directory changing.
         """
         os.chdir(our_home_dir)
-        os.umask(0)
+        os.umask(umask)
         sys.stdin.close()
         sys.stdout.close()
         sys.stderr.close()