If a non-religious man was to go around prescribing that women should wear face coverings because their faces are immodest and should only exposed to their husbands and families, he would quite rightly be the object of scorn, derision, invective, be labeled "alt-right" and hounded online, crowds of protestors would be preventing him from speaking publicly, etc.

None of that is happening with the imams preaching the same thing. They get away with it because they can brandish the religion card.

Nobody owes these extremists "respect". Tolerance of their free speech, yes, and of course neither violence nor public rudeness are to be tolerated, but not tolerance of the action of refusing to show your face in social interactions.