diff --git a/js/jquery.mobile.navigation.js b/js/jquery.mobile.navigation.js
index 76633340f56..8bb54044d01 100644
--- a/js/jquery.mobile.navigation.js
+++ b/js/jquery.mobile.navigation.js
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ define( [
 			//    [16]: ?msg=1234&type=unread
 			//    [17]: #msg-content
 			//
-			urlParseRE: /^(((([^:\/#\?]+:)?(?:(\/\/)((?:(([^:@\/#\?]+)(?:\:([^:@\/#\?]+))?)@)?(([^:\/#\?\]\[]+|\[[^\/\]@#?]+\])(?:\:([0-9]+))?))?)?)?((\/?(?:[^\/\?#]+\/+)*)([^\?#]*)))?(\?[^#]+)?)(#.*)?/,
+			urlParseRE: /^\s*(((([^:\/#\?]+:)?(?:(\/\/)((?:(([^:@\/#\?]+)(?:\:([^:@\/#\?]+))?)@)?(([^:\/#\?\]\[]+|\[[^\/\]@#?]+\])(?:\:([0-9]+))?))?)?)?((\/?(?:[^\/\?#]+\/+)*)([^\?#]*)))?(\?[^#]+)?)(#.*)?/,
 
 			// Abstraction to address xss (Issue #4787) by removing the authority in
 			// browsers that auto	decode it. All references to location.href should be
diff --git a/tests/unit/navigation/navigation_core.js b/tests/unit/navigation/navigation_core.js
index 9e8548d47c6..7908135834f 100644
--- a/tests/unit/navigation/navigation_core.js
+++ b/tests/unit/navigation/navigation_core.js
@@ -1307,4 +1307,18 @@
 			}
 		]);
 	});
+
+	asyncTest( "external page is accessed correctly even if it has a space in the url", function(){
+		$.testHelper.pageSequence([
+			function(){
+				$.mobile.changePage( " external.html" );
+			},
+			function(){
+				equal( $.mobile.activePage.attr( "id" ), "external-test", "the correct page is loaded" );
+				start();
+			}
+
+		]);
+	});
+	
 })(jQuery);