By Agence France-Presse Hiding snacks under their beds or behind piles of clothes, young Tunisians are finding ways to subvert the Ramadan fast -- despite being locked down with their Muslim conservative parents. Shoppers browse through the central market in Tunis during the fasting month of Ramadan (AFP/File / FETHI BELAID / MANILA BULLETIN) The generation gap in religious observance is not new but it took on a new dimension this year as the fasting month coincides with strict movement restrictions to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus. A Facebook group for Tunisians seeking to circumvent social pressures and eat during the day has attracted some 12,000 members. "How can you hide your food during the day and eat without being spotted by your parents?" one asked. Among the more imaginative suggestions: eat whilst showering, or if you are a young woman, pretend to be on your period: Islam allows menstruating women to forego the dawn-to-dusk fast. Tunis resident Zahra, a 23-year-old student and member of the "Fater" ("fast-breaker") group, said she had used that excuse or hid in order to eat but her mother was not fooled. "I told my mother I'm not a Muslim anymore, but she still acts like she doesn't know," said Zahra, adding that she had given up fasting two years ago. "A lot of people are afraid of being kicked out of home. I'm not, but if I tell my parents I'm not fasting, they'll imagine (I'm doing) worse things." The North African country's post-revolution constitution guarantees freedom of conscience, but there are no clear laws against eating in public during the holy month. But every Ramadan, the police arrest people caught eating or smoking during the daylight hours, citing vague "public decency" legislation or a decades-old directive. Many young Tunisians face family pressure to fast -- something harder to avoid this year as the lockdown to battle the spread of coronavirus means they have to stay home. Yasmine, a 19-year-old student who gave up fasting four years ago, said she drank water secretly during the day. "I'm afraid I'll be despised if I tell my family," she said.