diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/qt-3/builder.sh b/pkgs/development/libraries/qt-3/builder.sh
index cf481bf988c0..a85ac6b942ad 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/qt-3/builder.sh
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/qt-3/builder.sh
@@ -23,6 +23,12 @@ preConfigure() {
 configureFlags="-v -prefix $out -system-zlib -system-libpng -system-libjpeg"
 dontAddPrefix=1
 
+if test -n "$threadSupport"; then
+    configureFlags="-thread";
+else    
+    configureFlags="-no-thread";
+fi
+
 if test -n "$xftSupport"; then
     configureFlags="-xft -L$libXft/lib -I$libXft/include \
       -L$freetype/lib -I$freetype/include \
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/qt-3/default.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/qt-3/default.nix
index 83e9fdfd23b8..d6868746541a 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/qt-3/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/qt-3/default.nix
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 { xftSupport ? true
 , xrenderSupport ? true
+, threadSupport ? true
 , stdenv, fetchurl, x11, libXft ? null, libXrender ? null
 , zlib, libjpeg, libpng, which
 }:
@@ -18,6 +19,6 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
 
   buildInputs = [x11 libXft libXrender zlib libjpeg libpng which];
 
-  inherit xftSupport libXft xrenderSupport libXrender;
+  inherit threadSupport xftSupport libXft xrenderSupport libXrender;
   inherit (libXft) freetype fontconfig;
 }